The Right Side
by cheesytoast8
Summary: Something his new team leader said just won't leave Grant Ward's mind. He knows he's been working for the wrong side, but he realises maybe it isn't too late for him to fix that. Post Girl in the Flower Dress, Ward tells Coulson the truth about Hydra.
1. Prologue

**Author's note**

So this is my first time ever writing fanfic. I've thought about it before a lot but never really had the guts to put anything out there. This starts off the morning after Coulson gives Skye the bracelet at the end of 'Girl in the Flower Dress'. Then it will diverge from there, while following the general progression and occurrences of the season. The main focus is going to be on Ward and how he deals with choosing SHIELD.

**Prologue**

"Sir, there's something… You need to… I have to tell you something," stuttered Grant Ward, knowing he was making the right choice but not being able to get the words out.

"What is it agent Ward?" Coulson asked, knowing it must be something serious to have the stoic specialist stammering over his words like that. "If it's about Skye-"

"It's not," Ward interrupted. "Well, not directly," he amended. The truth was it did have to do with Skye, in a way. After what had happened the day before with Scorch and Miles, he had spent the whole night up thinking about Coulson's words.

"_You can't save someone from themselves, sir"_

"_You can if you get to them early enough"_

He had been rethinking things for a while, even before joining Coulson's team. But it was those words that echoed in his head, and helped him make the decision to tell Coulson. He just hoped that the team leader would hear him out and at least give him a chance to make things better.

"What I have to tell you, you aren't going to like. But I hope that you can give me a chance to explain, and to make things right. I want to help."

"Help with what Ward? Just tell me, and then if I can help you I will," Coulson replied, feeling concerned about the lack of confidence in the normally over confident younger agent.

"Can I ask that you hear me out before you say anything sir? It's just that, if I have to stop half way through I don't know if I will be able to get through the whole story," Ward said, while looking at the ground.

"Sure. I will hear you out without reacting until you are done," Coulson assured him.

Finally having the courage to look up and meet his superior's eyes, Grant lifted his head and uttered the words that would change his path and alter his loyalties.

"Hydra still exists, and I know this because Garrett recruited me to be a part of it before I even joined SHIELD."


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Ward walked out of Coulson's office feeling lighter than he had ever felt in his life. Telling him about all that had happened in his past had been hard, but he knew it had been right.

_Even though he had said he wouldn't react until Ward was done, Coulson's head shot up and his eyes widened dramatically before narrowing at the younger agent. He went to open his mouth to speak, but then he noticed the fear and stress in Ward's face and realised he needed to just let him get it all off his chest first._

"_I suppose I should start from the beginning," Ward said quietly, hoping he wasn't ruining everything. "It started for me when I was sixteen. No I guess that isn't even true. It started long before that. You've read my file, so you know at least some of what my family life was like growing up, but it's worse than even that says. My parents, well we would've been better off away from them all together I suppose. And my older brother Maynard, he was awful. It started off he would just beat us, my little brother and me. But then he got crueller than that. He started making me beat my little brother instead. And I was so scared of him and I didn't know what to do so I would do it. I hated myself for it, but I did it anyway. Eventually I got shipped off to the military academy, and I couldn't help but be relieved. I mean, I knew my little brother was still there but I was away from it. Then one night, when I was sixteen, I snuck away from the military academy, stole a car and drove over 1000 miles home to set fire to the house. I didn't know, but Maynard was inside." At this point, Ward looked up from the ground to see Coulson's face. He could see that the older man was a little confused as to what this all had to do with Hydra, but he was getting there._

"_I was in juvie when I met Garrett the first time. He told me that my parents were pressing charges and that Maynard was pushing to have me tried as an adult. That I had a choice to make, I could either stay and face a long time in prison or I could leave with him and be taught the skills needed to survive. He told me he worked for SHIELD and that I was on his radar from an instructor at the military academy. I went with him. And he took me into the wilderness of Wyoming and told me I had to survive and that he would be back. He left me there alone for months at a time, and he would come back and test to see what I had learnt. And if he felt that I hadn't learnt enough he would beat me until I could barely move. He told me it was to toughen me up, to get rid of any weakness. Because I couldn't be weak if I wanted to survive. This went on for about five years, before he finally told me that he had gotten me enrolled in the SHIELD Academy of Operations. He also told me that his loyalty wasn't to SHIELD, but to Hydra, but he wanted me to go into SHIELD undercover with him. I thought I owed him everything, I thought he was saving me. I trusted him, so I let him convince me that being part of Hydra was the right thing. He said that they cared, when SHIELD never did; that they had saved him when SHIELD wouldn't; that they wanted to make the world better. And I believed him. I believed everything he wanted me to believe because he convinced me that he was all I had." By this stage, Ward is holding back tears. A part of him feels as though the betrayal he is committing against his SO is unforgiveable, but a larger part of him feels like telling to this man, this man who is good, and fair and actually cares, is definitely the right thing to do._

"_He got himself assigned as my SO, and he made sure I was chosen for the missions he needed me to act for Hydra on. And whenever I screwed up, he continued to beat me, continued to drill into me that I didn't deserve better and that I owed him everything. But I finally realised he was wrong, sir," Ward said, meeting Coulson's eyes again. "And you showed me that. Because you are good, and fair, and you care. And you told me that you can save someone from themselves. I don't know if it's too late for me already, sir, but I want to do the right thing. I want to be a better man. I want to truly be on the right side. I want to be a real SHIELD agent."_

_At this, Coulson gave him a slight smile. "It isn't too late, Grant," Coulson said gently. "And you've done the right thing telling me this. We can make this right. But it's going to be hard, especially for you. Are you prepared for that?"_

"_Yes sir. I am. I know it will be hard, but never in my whole life have I felt like something was right like I do with this. I can do it, whatever you want me to do."_

"_I'm glad," Coulson said with another gentle smile._

"_Can I make a suggestion sir? Would that be okay?"_

"_Of course," Coulson replied with a questioning look on his face._

"_I think we should keep this quiet. At least for now," Ward said. Seeing the look on Coulson's face, and suspecting the reason for it, he hurried on. "It's just that I know some of the higher ups in Hydra but not all of them, and maybe, if Garrett thinks I'm still on his side we can bring them down before they strike? I'm not saying we shouldn't tell anyone, but keep it to only a few. I think it would be the best chance to get rid of them once and for all."_

"_You're right. I think we should bring Fury and Hill in on it, perhaps Romanoff, Barton and the Captain too if they agree. Beyond that if you can provide me with a list of names that you know of we can see if there's anyone else," Coulson agreed. "How would you feel about telling the team?"_

"_I don't know sir. I don't want to keep it from them, but agent May aside, I don't know that the others would be able to keep the knowledge to themselves if we were around the wrong people. I don't think they have the training or ability to act normally around potential threats."_

"_I agree. So we will keep it from all of them for now, at least until we've spoken to Fury and Hill. Now, tell me all that you know about Hydra…"_

He had spilled all he knew about the organisation and the SHIELD agents involved in it. He may not have known everything, Garrett didn't feel the need to keep him involved in everything, but he knew enough to start building from. He hoped Fury and Hill were as understanding as Coulson had been.

He was just passing by the lounge on the way to his bunk when he saw Skye curled up on one of the couches looking miserable. He felt awful about not going with her to Coulson's office the night before, knowing she had needed his support, but he had had too much going on in his head to be of any use to her. He had felt hurt by her actions, feeling that she had betrayed the trust he had shown her, something that wasn't easy for him. But more than that he had been thinking over everything with Hydra and wanting to tell Coulson and he just couldn't pull himself together enough. He knew now was the time for him to make this right.

"Hey rookie," he said softly as he approached her.

Her head shot up, stunned that he was speaking to her after the way things had gone down the say before.

"Hey," she replied softly, not knowing what to make of him approaching her when he still seemed so angry. She had approached FitzSimmons and May earlier and apologised for what had happened with Miles, but had been unable to speak to her SO since he was locked up with Coulson in his office all morning. He was the one she most wanted to apologise to, because she knew it took a lot for him to trust people, and he had started to trust her, defended her to Coulson, and then she had betrayed him. "I'm-"

"I'm sorry, Skye," he interrupted as she started to apologise. Her eyes got wide, what reason could he possibly have to apologise to her? "I wasn't a very good SO last night. But more than that, I wasn't a very good friend," he continued. "At least, I'd like to think we were friends, and you needed my support last night and I wasn't there for you. So I'm sorry for that. It's no excuse, but I was just hurting from what had happened and I was angry with you and had too much going through my head and –"

"No, Ward," she interrupted this time. "You shouldn't apologise, I'm the one that's sorry. We are friends, at least I like to think that we are, and I betrayed you and you had every right to be angry with me. You trusted me, and stuck up for me, and then I went and did something so stupid. I'm so sorry Ward. I promise, I won't do something so stupid again. I'm committed to this now. I want to be a part of SHIELD. I want to do this, I promise."

He studied her for a moment, saw the tears welling up in her eyes and knew that she was serious this time.

"Well then let's make you a part of SHIELD," Ward replied with a small smile. "Go get changed and meet me in the cargo bay in twenty minutes for training. And if you're late –"

"I know, robot, 15 push ups for every minute," Skye interrupted, smiling for the first time that morning. With that, she hopped off the couch and run off to her bunk.

Ward watched her go with the small smile still on his face. Yes, he had definitely made the right choice in telling Coulson the truth.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

For the first two days after his conversation with Coulson, Ward had started spending more time with the younger members of the team, but then he realised that just because Coulson was understanding didn't mean that Fury would be too. There was every chance he would end up removed from the team and locked up. And even if he wasn't, once they found out about all he had done, they would probably hate him. So he decided to pull away from them again, to save them all the pain. It had been two days since he last spent any free time with Skye or FitzSimmons. The only time he saw them was during training with Skye, otherwise he spent all his time holed up in his room.

"Briefing in ten," Coulson's voice came over the plane intercom.

Ward waited until the last moment to make his way to the control room, to try and avoid any talk with the others. He slipped through the door and made his way to stand on the opposite side of the table to the science twins and his rookie. Skye tried to catch his eye, but he focused his attention on Coulson, waiting for the team leader to speak.

"Okay guys, we will be heading to DC to visit the Triskelion-"

"Oh how exciting-"

"I haven't been to the Triskelion before-"

"This will be the first time-"

"But I've heard all about it, of course-" FitzSimmons started talking at once and over each other, in their excitement.

"Guys!" Coulson interrupted. "I understand you're excited but tone it down for a few minutes so we can get through this."

"Why are we visiting the Triskelion, sir?" May asked.

"I have a meeting with Fury and Hill," Coulson replied.

May raised an eyebrow. "About what, sir?"

"It's classified." At that, May's other eyebrow rose in surprise.

Ward kept his focus on Coulson, while observing the rest of the team in his peripheral. He knew the meeting was most likely about him, but kept up the act of not knowing anything.

"Agent Ward, you will be accompanying me to my meeting, while the rest of you will have some free time while we are on the ground," Coulson continued, his face impassive.

"Yes, sir," Ward responded.

May was staring intently at Coulson, wondering what he and Ward would need to meet with Fury and Hill about that she couldn't be told about. FitzSimmons and Skye were looking between the three senior agents, aware of the tension building from May.

"How long until we land, May?" Coulson asked.

"We can be on the ground in DC in around ten hours," May replied.

"Good. We will be heading straight inside at the Triskelion when we land, so make sure you are all ready to go."

"Yes, sir," Ward, Fitz and Simmons replied, while May just nodded her head and left the room.

"So, will we be free to roam around inside the Triskelion?" Skye spoke up for the first time, looking at Coulson.

"In any of the common areas, yes. But you won't have access to any of the clearance restricted areas," Coulson replied. "Now I have some paperwork to take care of, and you should all get some rest. Ward, come up to my office at some point before we land." With that, he left the room and headed for his office.

Ward went to make a quick exit behind Coulson but was stopped by Skye, "Hey Ward, wait up!"

He turned back towards her slowly, "What is it, Skye?"

"FitzSimmons and I are going to watch a movie in the lounge, thought you might wanna join?" she replied with a small smile at him.

"I can't right now, sorry," he responded quickly before moving swiftly from the room.

"You guys saw that right?" Skye asked, turning towards FitzSimmons. "He's avoiding me, and I don't know why!"

"Maybe he's still upset about the Miles thing," Fitz suggested, hesitantly. He didn't think it was that, as Ward had been avoiding himself and Simmons also.

"No, it can't be that. He was okay the day after, even apologised for not going to see Coulson with me-"

"And besides Fitz, he was spending time with all of us for a couple of days after that, then suddenly it's like he wants nothing to do with any of us," Simmons interrupted Skye.

"Exactly!" Skye exclaimed. "It was like one day he was our friend, and the next he decided we weren't worth his time."

"Well I don't know then," Fitz said. "Maybe it has nothing to do with us. He has seemed to be spending a lot of time in his bunk lately. Or maybe it's because of whatever this meeting with Director Fury is about."

"That could be it. Perhaps we should just wait and see what happens after we visit the Triskelion," Simmons said with a smile. "In the mean time, shall we go to the lounge and relax a bit?"

The other two nodded their heads and the three of them headed off to the lounge.

_In Coulson's office_

Ward poked his head in his boss's door, "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes, Ward. Come in and shut the door." Coulson put a quick signature on the paper he had been reading then stacked the rest of the papers on his desk together and put them to one side.

"I assume this is about the meeting with Director Fury and Commander Hill sir?"

"It is. They know you will be joining us in the meeting, but they don't know why I've asked them to meet. I thought it would be best if we didn't discuss the purpose of the meeting other than in person, just in case our communications are being monitored."

"I would think that would be for the best sir."

Coulson focused intently on Ward, who was looking at a point over his left shoulder. "You're worried, Agent Ward."

At this, Ward blinked rapidly and looked to Coulson's eyes. "Yes sir, a little. It's just that, I'm not sure what's going to happen to me after this meeting."

"Happen to you?" Coulson asked, narrowing his eyes. "What do you think is going to happen to you?"

"Well I expect there are a few options. But I imagine I will probably end up locked in a cell somewhere. And I'm okay with that sir, truly I am. It's just I can't help being nervous anyway," Ward answered.

"Is this why you've been avoiding Skye and FitzSimmons outside of Skye's training?"

Ward swallowed heavily. "Yes sir, I suppose it is. I just don't want to get any more attached to them, or them to get more attached to me. It will just cause them pain in the end. Either I will be locked up in some dark cell or they will find out the truth and hate me anyway."

"I think you underestimate them, Ward. I think you will find that they would be very understanding of the situation you find yourself in. And moreso, I think they will respect that you are making the choice to change your circumstance; to do the right thing. I think you will find that when the time comes the team will be as forgiving of you as they were of Skye. Perhaps even more, as you have done nothing as yet to actually betray the team. You chose to come to me instead of betraying them in fact. I think, if you let them, they could be good for you."

"And Director Fury, sir?" Ward asked, knowing Coulson was probably right about how the team would react, and that it was what the director would do that he really needed to worry about.

"I believe the director will see that you are an asset to us in the war that's clearly coming. Fury won't lock you up when you're more useful to him free. I'm sure he will have some conditions, but at this point you have done nothing but follow the orders of your superior. I don't think he will condemn you for that," Coulson responded, feeling confident that Fury would see what he did.

Grant Ward may have made some bad choices previously, but he made the right choice when it mattered and he was determined to be on the right side now. He was truly remorseful for what he had done and bound and determined to do better in the future, for himself, for the team and for SHIELD.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"We'll be touching down in twenty," May's voice came over the intercom of the plane, prompting the other team members to secure what they were using and get themselves strapped in.

Ward was nervous about the upcoming meeting, despite Coulson's reassurances. He looked at FitzSimmons and Skye sitting on the couches near him and thought this might be the last time he got to spend with them. Even though the thought of never seeing them again made something in his chest ache, he still believed he had made the right choice in distancing himself. It might hurt now, but they would be better off for it.

* * *

"Okay guys, let's head out," Coulson said once they had all reached the cargo bay. "Once we get inside we will have to get our access passes from security, and then we will split up. Ward and I will head straight up to see the director while you will all have some free time."

With that they all headed out of the plane and towards the doors to the interior of the Triskelion.

"Holy crap, this place is huge!" Skye exclaimed.

"Yes, it is rather impressive isn't it?" Simmons replied with a smile.

They reached the security desk and the five agents grabbed the passes with their names on them.

"Where's my pass?" Skye asked Coulson.

"That's your pass," he replied pointing at the bracelet on her wrist. "It allows you access only in the places you are permitted in the same way a card would."

Skye frowned at that information, but nodded anyway to show she understood.

"Okay, listen up before we separate. You are free to move around anywhere you're passes permit, but please, try not to damage anything or upset anyone. We are trying to keep a low profile while here and that won't work if you are causing explosions-" at this he looked at FitzSimmons, "-entering areas you shouldn't be-" his gaze moved to Skye, "-or kicking people's asses for looking at you funny," he finally rested his gaze on May. "Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Absolutely."

"I'll try."

Simmons, Fitz and May responded immediately.

"Skye?" Coulson questioned, looking back at the young hacker.

"Sure AC, whatever you say. I won't go anywhere I'm not supposed to. I will just stay with the science twins," she replied looking at him earnestly.

"Alright, good. Now I don't know exactly how long this meeting will take, but I would say no more than a few hours. So everyone is to be back at the bus in, let's say, four hours?" He waited to receive nods from the four of them before turning to Ward. "Okay, let's go then."

"Yes, sir," Ward responded quietly, turning to follow Coulson as he moved away.

"Hey, robot!" Skye called out, just as they entered the elevator. He put his arm between the doors to stop them closing and shot her a questioning look. "We'll see you later, yeah?" she asked, unsure why but having a feeling that there was something huge about to happen and that it had a lot to do with Ward. She just wanted some reassurance that he was coming back, and it seemed like maybe he wasn't.

He shot her a sad smile and waved, not really answering one way or another, before allowing the doors to close.

The ride up to the top floor in the elevator passed in silence between Ward and Coulson. The younger agent was still very tense with nerves and worry and the older knew that there was nothing more he could do to calm him down. He had to see for himself that everything would be okay; Coulson would just make sure that he knew he wasn't alone in this; he would be there to support him the entire time.

Finally, he broke the silence, just before they reached there level. "You could have answered her, you know? You will see them all later," he said firmly.

"I know that's most likely true sir. But I didn't want to tell her when I'm not sure. It's better that way, so if I can't go back to the bus with you I won't have lied to her about it."

The bell dinged then and the doors slid open. The two agents exited the elevator together, and Ward fell into step to Coulson's left and slightly behind him, his eyes moving all over and never focusing in one place. Walking more like a guard than anything else. Coulson considered for a moment if this was something he always did, seeing how naturally he slipped into that position. When he thought about it he realised that it was. Ward always placed himself in a position so as to best defend whoever he was with.

They were ushered straight into Fury's office as soon as they arrived, where they were confronted by the director sitting behind his desk and Commander Hill standing behind him to his left. They all shook hands, then Coulson took the chair Fury offered while Ward remained standing, still behind him and to his left, mirroring Hill's position.

"What's this all about Coulson?" Fury asked immediately, ignoring the younger agent's presence for now, assuming it would be explained to him.

"What I have to tell you, you aren't going to like," Coulson began, unconsciously mirroring Ward's exact words from a few days previously. "But I'd like for you to listen to everything before you react rashly."

"Well that's never a good way for a conversation to start," Fury replied, raising an eyebrow. "But okay, tell me what you have to tell me and we will see just how much I like it. But first, is there a reason you asked for this meeting to be kept so hush hush?"

"There is sir, and once I tell you what it's about you will understand that reason."

"And is there a reason that one of your level sevens is here if we need to keep what's being discussed so quiet?"

"Again, sir, there is. And that too will become clear by the time we are done."

"Okay then, what is it that's so damn important?" Fury asked, looking at him intently.

Coulson decided his best bet was to just get it out as quick as possibly, so he ended up blurting it out. "Hydra still exists, they are deeply imbedded in SHIELD with many high level double agents and they are planning something big."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The looks on the director and deputy director's faces would have been funny if the situation wasn't so serious.

"Hydra?" Fury finally asked. "As in World War II, Johann Schmidt, that Hydra?"

"That's the one," Coulson replied.

"And you know this how?" Fury questioned.

"Well, this is the bit where I'm going to ask you to let me explain without interrupting. Sir," Coulson replied.

"Okay, fine, explain."

So Coulson did. Telling them what Grant had told him both about his own history with Garrett and what he knew of Hydra. When he was finished it was Hill who spoke up first, addressing her question to Ward. What she asked surprised everyone.

"He took you at sixteen and left you basically alone in the woods for five years?" she asked with a compassionate, almost sad look on her face.

"Yes, ma'am," Ward responded, looking her straight in the eye.

"And he beat you, whenever he decided you weren't performing to his standard?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And even after you joined SHIELD, the beatings didn't stop?"

"No, ma'am."

"He convinced you that you were worthless and nobody would care." This was more a statement than a question but he responded anyway.

"Yes, ma'am."

"How did we let this happen?" Hill demanded looking at both Fury and Coulson. "How did we get so comfortable that we didn't see what our agents were doing? That a senior agent was taking a boy and torturing him. Then continuing to torture him for fifteen years, right under our noses, inside our own organisation?"

"It isn't your fault, ma'am," Ward spoke up hesitantly, not wanting to see the deputy director blame herself. He knew she was a good person, like Coulson, and he didn't want her to think what happened to him was her fault. "It was designed so you wouldn't see it. A part of SHIELD from its inception. There was no way you could've known. And what happened with Garrett, that's my fault for being weak. If I had been stronger-"

"You're not weak!" Hill responded fiercely. "You are strong, and we failed you. But that ends now. We will stop them, and they will pay. Not just for what they've done to SHIELD, but for what they've done to you, and others like you. Kids who were vulnerable and didn't know any better. Coming to us now, telling us the truth, wanting to help stop it. That makes you strong."

"Yes ma'am," Ward replied, not necessarily agreeing with her about him being strong, but agreeing that they could stop it.

"Okay," Fury said. "Let's go through everything you know. People involved, goals, current missions. Anything you can tell us that could help, and we will see where we go from there."

"Yes, sir."

Ward told them all he knew, ending with why he was placed on Coulson's team, something Coulson had left out of his own explanation.

"Garrett's sick, maybe dying, and he wants to know what saved Coulson. He thought if I was on the team I could get close to them and get answers. But I couldn't do it. I've been rethinking things for a while, even before I was put on the team. I don't agree with most of what Hydra wants, I was only there for Garrett, but then I saw what a good and fair man Coulson was and realised that maybe I could be better. That the way he treated me, maybe it isn't what's normal. I promise, I will do everything I can to bring them down. Even Garrett," he finished earnestly.

"Good. We will need you to be completely onboard," Fury replied.

"Whatever you need sir."

"I want you to pretend to remain loyal to Garrett. Let him think you are still on his side and see what else you can find out, without doing anything to tip him off. If you think for even a moment he might be suspicious of you, you stop, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir. But, may I ask, why?"

"Why what?"

"Why should I stop if I think he is suspicious?"

"Because we don't want you to be hurt anymore Agent Ward," Hill replied in Fury's place. "We want you to help us, but not in detriment to yourself. If he suspects anything, he won't hesitate to hurt you more, and we don't want that."

"But I can take it ma'am. To make him think I am still loyal to him, I can take a few beatings-"

"Absolutely not," Hill interrupted. "It isn't worth you being hurt. You only do what you can without getting yourself hurt, do you understand?" she asked looking at him intently.

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. Because we care what happens to you, Grant," Hill said. "And we won't let you be tortured by that man anymore."

"I think it's best if we keep this quiet, sir," Coulson spoke up. "Because while Agent Ward has given us a fairly comprehensive list, he doesn't know everyone involved and we don't want them to know that we are on to them."

"I agree. I would like to bring Barton and Romanoff in, as well as Captain Rogers. And I will leave it up to you what you tell your team, although keep in mind the scientists and hacker may not have the ability to act naturally when and if you encounter members of Hydra."

"We agree," Coulson replied. "I haven't decided yet about Agent May though."

"Well just let us know what you decide. Keep communication off open lines though," Fury said. "And I will let you know once I've informed the other three. I will have to inform them of your survival as well, of course. And they may have questions that only Agent Ward can answer, in which case I will assign you to a mission which will require their assistance."

"Yes, sir," Coulson replied.

"Okay, I think that will do us for today. Will you be heading out tonight?"

"Yes sir. Although we will probably remain fairly close until we get assigned to something new."

"Alright. Well if you are still around after we meet with Barton, Romanoff and Rogers we may call you back in."

"Yes sir." With that, Coulson and Fury rose from their chairs and handshakes were shared around again.

"Let me know if there's anything more you need Agent Ward," Commander Hill said as they were leaving, still feeling an enormous amount of sympathy for the level seven agent. "We are here for you, for anything you need."

"I will ma'am. But I'll be fine," he replied with a small smile for her.


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's note**

The endings of both the movie and the book _My Sister's Keeper_ are mentioned in this chapter. They're both more than a few years old but still, just wanted to say upfront that how each ends is mentioned.

**Chapter 5**

"Oh, thank god you're back!" Skye exclaimed on seeing Ward and Coulson walk up the cargo ramp. "I was worried! You said four hours, and now it's been longer than four hours and I thought you weren't coming back!" She directed this last part at Ward.

"Sorry, it took a little longer than expected," Coulson replied, seeing the genuine worry that the young hacker had for her SO. "But there was never any question of whether we would both be back or not." This part he directed as much at the specialist beside him as the young girl in front of him.

Ward flicked his gaze to Coulson from where he had been staring at Skye for a moment, giving him a brief nod to show he understood that he was once again reassuring him of his place there. Coulson returned the nod then headed towards the stairs.

"I'm going to let May know that we're back."

"You didn't think you were coming back," Skye accused as soon as Coulson was out of sight.

Ward wanted to deny it but didn't want to lie to her about it. "I wasn't sure," he said softly.

"Why?" Skye implored, seeing the sadness on his face. "Why would you have not been able to come back?"

"I can't tell you," Ward replied. He and Coulson had not decided for sure whether the younger members of the team could know the truth, so he knew he had to keep it from her for now. But he would tell her enough to hopefully satisfy her for now. "Not yet, anyway. All I will tell you is that the meeting was about something very important and so classified that no one outside Fury, Hill, Coulson and I know what it was about." He saw that she was going to say something so stopped her before she could. "Please don't ask any more Skye. When I can tell you more I will, but for now, please just trust me."

She studied him closely for a few moments, making him feel like she could see right through him. "Okay," she conceded finally. "I will trust you. But if you need my help, for anything, all you have to do is ask."

"I know," he responded, smiling softly at her. "I'm going to head up and grab something to eat." He went to walk away and then remembered what Coulson had said. That if he let them, his team mates could be good for him. He turned back to Skye, and saw the slightly dejected look on her face. "Wanna come with?" he asked with a small smile for her.

"Yes!" she said quickly, her answering smile bright. "Maybe we can watch a movie too?" she asked hesitantly.

"I would like that. Maybe we can ask FitzSimmons if they want to join us?"

At that she beamed at him. "Definitely! I will go ask them then meet you in the kitchen!" With that, she bounded off up the stairs.

Smiling, he shook his head at her, and then followed after her up the stairs.

* * *

A few hours later the four of them were spread out across the lounge, finishing up their second movie – Simmons's choice of _My Sister's Keeper_. Fitz and Simmons were sharing the loveseat, with her feet across his lap and Skye and Ward were sitting on opposite ends of the couch with an empty bowl from their popcorn on the cushion between them.

"I'm not saying it was a bad movie," Skye was saying while wiping her eyes with a tissue. They had all teared up a bit; it was a pretty sad movie after all. "I'm just saying that they completely changed the ending from the book. And that takes something away from what you get in the end of the book."

"How did the book end?" Ward asks, it not being a book he had ever read.

"Anna wins her case and Campbell gets given power of attorney, then on the way to the hospital they get in an accident which leaves Anna brain dead. Kate ends up getting the kidney. I just think it's more satisfying because it better shows that it was never about Anna wanting Kate to die or even not wanting to give her kidney. I don't know. I just thought it was a better ending," Skye replies.

"I agree," Simmons said. "There was definitely something more satisfying about the book ending-"

"It even made you cry, too," Fitz interrupted.

"But that doesn't mean the movie was bad," she continued, shooting Fitz a glare.

"Hmm. That does sound like a better ending. But I didn't mind the movie. Do either of you have the book, I wouldn't mind reading it," Ward said hesitantly, looking from Skye to Simmons.

"Sure," Simmons agreed immediately, with a smile. "I have it in my bunk. I'll get it for you before we turn in for the night."

"Thanks," Ward said, returning her small with a small one of his own.

Coulson passed through the lounge at that moment, happy to see Ward spending some time with the younger team members. He just knew that if Ward gave them a chance they could be good for him. The soft place to land that Ward had never really had.

"What do you say to heading out for dinner tonight?" he asked them all, making Fitz and Simmons jump, as he was behind them and they hadn't realised he was there.

They all quickly agreed and he went to the cockpit to tell May.

* * *

That night, Ward found himself lying in bed, unable to fall asleep. He just couldn't understand how they were all so understanding. In some ways he had expected it of Coulson, but not of Fury and Hill.

Commander Hill especially seemed angrier at the way Garrett had treated him, than at Ward himself. He didn't really understand why. He was a grown man, and had made his own choices. He was responsible for his own actions. So why did they all seem to still trust him? It just didn't make any sense to him.

Maybe they were all just pretending. Maybe they wanted him to think they were on his side, and so they were treating him like they cared, when really they didn't. But that didn't seem right either. Everything about them had seemed completely genuine, in a way he had never sensed from Garrett.

His interactions with Garrett had always left him feeling a little on edge, like John wasn't telling him everything. Which he supposed he knew was true, but it was more than that. Comparing it now to the conversations both with just Coulson and with Coulson, Fury and Hill he thought maybe he could see a difference. Their treatment of him and their words seemed more authentic in hindsight than Garrett's ever had.

Maybe it was something he could talk to Coulson about. Because while he wasn't entirely sure that they were all being genuine, he felt like he could trust Coulson to be honest with him. With that thought, he finally drifted off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"The others know," Coulson said a few days later when he and Ward were alone in the lounge.

He offered no further explanation but Ward nodded, understanding what he was telling him. "How'd it go?"

"Fury says they took it fairly well. They had some questions but he was able to satisfy them for now. They're taking a few days to process then will meet to come up with some strategy."

"Sounds reasonable. Have you made any decisions regarding the team?" Grant asked quietly.

"I'm just not sure. I think for now keeping it from FitzSimmons and Skye is definitely for the best, but maybe we should tell May. What do you think?"

"I don't really know sir. Maybe wait to hear more from the director and then you can make a decision?"

"We, Ward. We will make a decision. We are in this together now. And everything regarding it we will talk about before any decisions are made," Coulson responded, looking at Ward closely.

"Are you sure you want me involved in the decisions sir? Maybe it would be best if you all made the decisions. I will do whatever you ask me to and –"

"Fury and Hill both agree. And from what little Fury could say Barton, Romanoff and the Captain do too. The seven of us are all on equal terms in this. We're a team. Nobody makes any unilateral decisions about courses of action to take without consulting the rest of us," Coulson interrupted firmly. He waited to receive a nod from Ward before continuing. "But I think you might be right. We will wait until I hear back from Fury and then make a decision regarding May."

"Sounds good sir," Ward replied. He wanted to ask Coulson more about Fury and Hill's reactions to his story but just wasn't sure how to bring it up.

"Is there something else on your mind, Ward?" Coulson asked softly. The younger agent had his gaze trained on the wall across from them, but every so often his eyes would flick in Coulson's direction, and he thought he could see slight conflict in his eyes.

"Kind of sir. It's just, I don't understand Fury and Hill's reactions to everything we told them. Yours either really," Ward answered, finally looking his gaze on Coulson.

"What about it do you not understand, Grant?" Coulson questioned, still keeping his voice quiet.

"Why are none of you angry at me? Why are you all being so understanding?" Ward asked sadly. "I don't deserve it. I'm a grown man, I made my own choices and they were bad ones and you all are being so nice to me. Do you think they are just pretending so I will help? Because if they are they don't have to. I would help anyway, even if they were angry. But I don't think they are pretending, they seem genuine. I was thinking about it and looking back I think maybe they seem more genuine than Garrett ever did. But then maybe-"

"Hey, hey, hey. It's okay," Coulson interrupted Ward's ramble as he seemed to be getting more and more worked up as he went on. "I promise they aren't pretending Grant. None of us are. Nobody is angry at you, we are angry for you. Maybe you don't entirely see it yet, but what Garrett did to you, it was abuse Grant. And that is what we are angry about. He took a vulnerable young boy and manipulated him, conditioned him to do things he wouldn't have done otherwise. And when that young boy didn't do what he was told, he punished him. That isn't how things are supposed to work. And it will never be like that for you again. You may be a grown man, capable of making his own choices, but Garrett took the right to make your own choices away from you. So the things you did for Garrett, those are on him. And when you realised that maybe something wasn't right, you made the right choice. You came to me, and you wanted to be better. That counts for something Grant."

"But I hurt people. I killed people. For him."

"Did you always know?"

"Know what?"

"Know that it was for him," Coulson replied. Seeing the confusion on Ward's face he elaborated. "Did you always know it was for him and Hydra?"

Ward thought about it for a minute. "No. Not really. Usually it was on a SHIELD op, so I never really knew if it was coming from SHIELD or if it was just from him. But that doesn't excuse what I did. I –"

"I'm not saying it excuses the deaths, all I'm saying is that you trusted someone that you believed saved you from a horrible fate, and you didn't always know that you were doing it for him. He was your superior in SHIELD and you had to follow his orders on ops, because what if those orders were coming down the chain of command? You're a victim of your circumstance Ward. He abused you and you didn't know any better. You are not a bad man. I see that. And so do Fury and Hill. None of us are pretending. We are not angry at you. And we believe in you," Coulson finished firmly, wanting the younger agent to see that they were truly on his side and he was not going to be punished for things that John Garrett had done to him.

Ward was quiet for several minutes, processing all Coulson had said, before he nodded his head.

"Thank you, sir. For being honest with me. It means a lot, hearing those things from you. I promise, I'm going to try to be a man that you can be proud of from now on."

"I'm already proud of you Ward. For coming forward when you did. For seeing the truth, even though you trusted Garrett. For doing the right thing. For deciding that you didn't want to hurt this team."

"Thank you, sir. That means a lot. You're opinion is important to me," Ward said quietly, realising just how true that was. In a short time, what Coulson thought of him had come to matter to him more than what Garrett thought of him ever had. Because Coulson was a good man, who did the right thing. And that was the kind of man Grant Ward wanted to be.

"It's almost time for Skye's training so I'm going to go get ready and find her," Ward said, standing up and heading towards his bunk.

"Okay. And Ward," Coulson called as the specialist reached the door.

"Yes sir?"

"It's nice to see you spending more time outside your bunk," Coulson said with a small smile.

"Yes sir," Ward replied, returning his smile.

_Yes_, Coulson thought, _the young specialist would be okay. _They just had to keep offering him the support he had lacked his entire life. Showing him that the way he had been treated wasn't normal and he should never let himself be treated like that. And the influence of the younger team members would definitely be a help in that.


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's note**

Some lines are taken from episode 6, 'F.Z.Z.T.'.

**Chapter 7**

Ward walked out of the lab after testing the night night pistol (they definitely weren't calling it that, no way) for Fitz again. He knew he was being overly picky – an ounce truly wasn't that much – and he probably would've let it go – he was mostly joking when he said it was an ounce off. But then Skye had to go and comment on it, then Fitz said they did have a rifle, like needing the pistol to be exact was crazy. Really, he couldn't help but to demand that they lose the ounce, he enjoyed the look on Fitz's face when he said it too much.

He heard Fitz's impression of him as he was walking away and couldn't help a little chuckle to himself. Maybe this was what it was like to have real friends – you picked on and teased each other but it was all in good fun.

He had just reached the upper level when Coulson told him they had a mission and to go grab the others.

* * *

"Lose the ounce," Fitz muttered under his breath as Ward left the lab. "I'm Agent Grant Ward, and I could shoot the legs off a flea from 500 yards. As long as it's not windy."

Skye giggled at Fitz's impression of her SO.

"It's nice to hear you laugh again," Fitz said quietly.

"It's nice to feel like laughing again," Skye replied. "Ward seems better since we were at the Triskelion, don't you think? I mean, I even think he may have been teasing there with that 'lose the ounce' bit."

"I suppose. It's hard to tell though; he has a pretty good poker face. And he does have you memorising all the SHIELD protocol manuals, and that can't be too fun."

"It's not so bad. I think it's him trying to help me become an agent, in his own crazy Ward-way. I think it might be his way of saying he's still angry and hurt over Miles, but he supports my being here? It's a little confusing. And I'm not trying to compare Ward to Miles, but at least with Miles I never had to worry about this weird passive aggressive stuff. We spoke the same language, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah, a bit like we do," Fitz replied, implying Skye and himself.

"Totally. You and Simmons are so tight," Skye responded, totally misinterpreting who he meant. "It's like you're psychically linked."

"Nuh, Jem? No, actually, no. Nah, I don't think so-" Fitz sputtered.

"So Ward was here?" Simmons interrupted. "Let me guess, the night night pistol again?"

"Yeah. Oh, yeah and he said it was off by an ounce," Fitz replied.

"Although there's a chance he was joking about that," Skye added. "We aren't sure though. He's got a good poker face."

"Well he is a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to weapons," Simmons replied. "So it makes sense that he would pick up on it, even if he was joking." She put her hands on her hips and started her own impression of Ward, making Skye laugh at just how similar her impression was to Fitz's.

* * *

"_I'm Agent Grant Ward, and I could rupture your spleen with my left pinky, blindfolded,"_ Ward heard Simmons say in a terrible impression of him as he was nearing the lab again.

"_That is dead on,"_ Skye replied with a laugh.

"Hey, hussle up and grab your gear. We're on a mission," he said as he walked in, seeing them all trying to old in their laughter. "Something funny," he asked in his most serious tone.

Simmons then responded with a lie about Fitz having left a dummy round in the night night pistol, telling him the weight should be right now.

He took it from her, knowing that it was still off but 'testing' it anyway. "Great," he said putting it down in front of her. "Thanks."

As he walked away he heard them all crack up and smiled to himself. It was nice to feel like maybe he belonged somewhere. Even if their impressions of him were awful - he most definitely did not sound like that.

* * *

"Simmons believes she contracted the virus approximately 36 hours ago when she received an electrostatic shock from the first victim," Coulson told Ward, May and Skye as he watched Fitz and Simmons sitting leaning against the lab door separating them.

"How much time does she have?" Skye asked.

"Based on when the firemen were infected, how quickly their symptoms manifested. Two hours at most," Coulson said sadly.

"That's enough time, right? I mean SHIELD has dozens of scientists and labs working on this thing, don't they?" Skye asked emotionally.

"They do," Coulson replied. "How soon can you get us on the ground?" he then asked May.

"Three hours. Our path to the Sandbox has us right in the middle of the Atlantic."

"Sir, correct me if I'm wrong, but if we can't land in time-" Ward began, not even wanting to finish the thought, let alone his sentence.

"Simmons will release a pulse that will blow this plane right out of the sky," Coulson finished for him.

"We can't just sit here, and watch her die! We have to do something!" Skye demanded.

"There's only one person on this plane capable of finding a solution for this, and I'm willing to bet my life that she will," Coulson said, as they all turned to look at the scientists.

"She's just a kid," May said sadly.

The four of them headed upstairs and in different directions, until Ward found himself in the control room, watching Simmons on the monitor from the lab.

He wished there was something he could do. This shouldn't have happened. He wished he had been infected, rather than Simmons. She was innocent, and sweet, and kind, not like him. He deserved it, after all he had done, and she definitely didn't. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he cared about her, the whole team really. But Jemma, she reminded him of his sister. And his parents and Maynard may have been horrible excuses for human beings, but he had truly loved his sister. He didn't want to lose another little sister.

If Fitz and Simmons couldn't figure it out – no, he couldn't let himself think like that. They would figure it out. Fitz and Simmons were the most brilliant people he had ever heard of, let alone met. They were the youngest graduates ever through SciTech. If anyone could figure this out it was them. They would do it.

"Why aren't you down there?" Skye's voice came from the doorway.

"They don't need an audience."

She turned to go, put off by the dismissive tone of his voice.

"You can stay," he called softly, not looking at her. "If you want."

She walked over to lean beside him. "I hate this. I just feel so-"

"Helpless," he interrupted.

"Yeah," she agreed, looking at him.

"I wanted it to be a person. Some.. super-powered psychopath; someone I could hurt; someone I could punish. That, I could do. What I can't do," he said, finally turning to look at her, "is protect you guys from stuff I can't even see. Or understand." The last part he added quietly.

"So what do we do?" Skye asked sadly.

"We wait," he replied firmly, "And get ready."

"Ready for what?"

"For whatever it is we're called upon to do."

She stared at him for a moment before giving a slight nod.

"Can they do it, Ward? Can they find an answer? Can they save Simmons?" she asked, her voice breaking near the end.

"I was asking myself those same questions before you came in," he responded. "And I have to believe that if anyone can it's them. They are two of the most brilliant people SHIELD has ever had, and SHIELD prides itself on having brilliant people. They can do it, and they will do it."

"You really believe that," Skye said after studying him for a few beats.

"I do," he said firmly.

"You care about them," Skye said, realising why he seemed so worried if he believed that they would figure it out. "You're worried about Simmons."

He looked away from her at that. "I do," he said again, much softer this time. "And I am. I believe that they will work it out, but I'm still worried. I don't want anything to happen to her."

"It's like you said. If anyone can figure it out it's them. She will be okay. We have to believe that," Skye said, offering him reassurance now as he just had for her.

They looked out the door to see Fitz running by with what looked like the container holding the helmet. "Isn't that-" Skye started, before they heard Coulson.

"Fitz!"

The three of them followed him down the stairs were Fitz rushed straight into the lab. May joined them moments later and the four of them watched as Fitz and Simmons worked on another antiserum. They weren't sure exactly what they were doing but by the looks of it, the scientists really thought this could work.


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's note**

Some lines are taken straight from episode 6, 'F.Z.Z.T.'.

**Chapter 8**

_It didn't work_. That's all Ward could think. Two of the most brilliant minds in the country, probably even the world. And they hadn't been able to fix this. There had to be more they could do. There was no way they could just let her die.

Simmons had asked for a few moments alone with Fitz, so Skye, Coulson and he were back up in the control room.

"Agent Blake is on the line," May said coming in to the room. "He wants to know what's going on. If you won't answer, he asked for Ward."

"Sir, what are our orders?" Ward asked.

"They're unchanged," Coulson replied, as a loud beeping started sounding.

"What's that?" Skye asked, as May moved to bring up the plane diagnostics to find out.

"Someone's lowering the cargo hold ramp," May answered.

_Oh god_, Ward thought, realising what it meant almost instantly. _She's going to jump_. He stepped back from the table, looking briefly at the others, before turning and racing for the cargo hold. He didn't even bother with the stairs, vaulting over the railing to land beside Fitz, who was struggling with a parachute and the antiserum injection device, while muttering to himself.

"The antiserum worked, but she jumped!" Fitz yelled at him as Ward quickly took the parachute and device off him, running straight for the open ramp while putting the parachute on.

He dove out of the plane, finishing off attaching the parachute to himself and speared his body straight down, searching for Simmons. He could see her below him, and could only hope he reached her in time.

_She's going to be okay. I will catch her. She's going to be okay. I will catch her_, he repeated to himself over and over until he was almost upon her, when he spread his arms and legs to slow his descent. He reached out and grabbed her, as she wrapped her legs around his hips and grabbed hold of the parachute straps at his chest. He used the injection device to deliver the antiserum to her immediately, and then pulled the cord on the parachute to release it.

A moment later there was a pulse as the antiserum worked and Simmons' head fell against his shoulder. They slowly finished their descent, landing in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, where Ward kept a tight hold on Simmons, who was still unconscious, and trod water to keep them both afloat.

It took a couple of minutes, before she started to stir again. She gasped as she woke up, tightening her grip on his shirt with her hands and around his hips with her legs.

"Ward? What.. what happened?" she asked him, coughing a little.

"The antiserum worked," he replied.

She looked at him carefully. "You jumped out of the plane after me," she said softly.

"We heard the alarm for the cargo hold ramp lowering," he said in response. "And I just knew what you were going to do, and I couldn't let you. Even if the antiserum hadn't worked, I couldn't let you kill yourself. You matter to too many people, Jemma," he continued, using her first name for the first time.

"You saved my life," she said, still studying him closely. "Because you're one of the people I matter to?" she guessed quietly.

He looked away from her face. "You should know Fitz was getting ready to jump. He would've saved you even if I hadn't been there."

"You're avoiding my question, Agent Ward."

"Yes," he said quietly, "I'm one of the people you matter to." He couldn't look at her when he said it.

"Thank you, Grant, for saving my life," she said softly, kissing his cheek. She figured he didn't like talking about his feelings, so decided not to push him, but she couldn't not thank him.

She gave him a small smile, which he returned shyly. She was exhausted, so rested her head back against his shoulder, while he kept them afloat.

"I had a sister," he said quietly, a few minutes later. "Sometimes you remind me of her."

She raised her head to look at him again, shocked that he was telling her this. He wasn't one to share things about himself. "What was she like?" she asked quietly.

"She was beautiful," he said with a sad smile. "And smart. Not as smart as you, I don't think anyone is as smart as you really. But she was smart."

"What happened to her?" Simmons asked, hoping it wouldn't make him close off.

He looked at her for a few moments, before answering softly. "She died. When I was young."

"I'm sorry, Ward," Simmons said quietly.

"It's okay, it was a long time ago."

"You don't talk much, about yourself," Simmons said, hoping she wasn't pushing him too far. But he seemed to be more open to talking right now than she had ever seen so she supposed it was okay.

"I have a lot of unhappy things in my past," he replied. "I don't like to talk about it; to even think about it really."

"I guess I can understand that. I won't tell anyone, about your sister," she whispered. "Not unless you want them to know."

He looked at her carefully then. "I don't really mind if they know." They were quiet for a few more minutes, before he started to speak again. "Would it be alright, if maybe I thought of you like a little sister," he asked, feeling very vulnerable.

"I already think of you like a big brother sometimes," she answered, smiling at him. "With how you protect us all. And I've never had a big brother before, but I think you're a pretty good one."

He smiled at that, knowing he hadn't always been a good big brother, but knowing he would do better with Simmons if she let him. "I'll be a good big brother for you," he promised both her and himself.

They continued to speak quietly to each other, him asking her questions about the antiserum and her answering enthusiastically, which led to her work in general. He didn't understand a lot of what she told him, but he was happy to just let her talk. It kept them both awake and aware, until the rescue team arrived to fish them out of the water.

* * *

Ward and Simmons headed down the stairs from Coulson's office after he yelled at them a bit.

"So what'd you think of your first time sky diving?" Ward asked her with a smile.

"Honestly, I'd rather not think about it anymore," she groaned in reply.

"I thought what you did, was incredibly brave."

"Oh. Well. I suppose now's as good a time as any to tell you that, um, I may have misled you, earlier." Ward looked at her questioningly and folded his arms. He had a feeling he knew what this was about, but he wanted to hear her say it. "You see, when I gave you back the night night pistol, I lied. It's still an ounce off."

"I know."

"You do?"

"Of course," he replied. "After all, I'm Agent Grant Ward and I just jumped out of a plane without a parachute on and saved your life," he continued in an imitation of her and Fitz's earlier impressions of him.

"Actually, that's not quite it," she responded with a giggle. "It's a bit more nasally than that-"

He huffed at that and grabbed her quickly for a hug. "I'm so glad you're alright," he said softly.

She hugged him back. "Me too." She noticed movement behind him at the same moment he tensed and pulled away. "Oh, hello Skye," she said to the girl coming up behind Ward, who then grabbed her and pulled her into another hug.

Ward smiled, watching the two young women hug. _Maybe this letting people in thing wasn't so bad_, he thought.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Skye sat on the upper level of the cargo bay looking down at Simmons and Ward, as they ran through some training exercises together. It had been two days since Simmons had jumped from the plane, Ward jumping after her to catch her and the two had been spending a lot of time together. It seemed that anytime he wasn't training Skye, or doing his own workout, the two of them were together.

The day before, Coulson had Fitz working on something outside the lab and so Ward had simply sat in the lab with Simmons while she worked. She talked to him about what she was doing, and even dumbed down her explanations so he could at least somewhat understand. And he hadn't just humoured her; he had truly seemed interested in what she was telling him.

Then this morning at breakfast, Simmons had asked if Ward would start teaching her to fight, and Skye had nearly choked on her coffee. The young scientist had sounded so enthusiastic, and he had given her a gentle smile and told her that they could start that afternoon.

Skye kept telling herself that she wasn't jealous, but she couldn't help it. It felt like Simmons was stealing her SO, and the two of them seemed so happy spending time together. She felt like she was being replaced. When Ward had said that he cared about Simmons and was worried about her, Skye had just thought that he meant as a friend, but this seemed like more than that – the two seemed more joined at the hip than even Fitz and Simmons had been.

The sound of laughter from below her drew Skye out of her thoughts. She looked down to see Ward and Simmons sprawled out on the mats, Ward half over her but supporting his weight with his arms, so as not to crush her.

"That was terrible," she heard Simmons say between giggles.

"It wasn't so bad," Ward responded between his own light chuckles. "You managed to knock me down, but it would probably be better if I hadn't landed on you."

From where she was sitting Skye could see the tender look Ward had on his face as he jumped up and pulled Simmons to her feet.

"Well, I didn't even really mean to knock you down," Simmons said as she regained her balance. "I mostly just tripped over and brought you crashing down with me. My balance has never been great."

"That's something we can work on. I can show you some things you can do to improve your balance. There are a few exercises you can do while you're working in the lab that won't even interfere with your work." They were walking over to the edge of the mats to grab their water bottles as he spoke.

"Oh that would be wonderful," Simmons replied before having some of her water.

"Wanna try one more time?" Ward asked as he put his bottle back down, "Or do you want me to show you those exercises now?"

"Hmm. Exercises I think," she replied, dropping her own water bottle. "I don't know if I can handle you falling on me again today," she added, poking her tongue out at him.

Skye could barely believe it when she saw him poke his tongue back out at her. She had never seen her usually stoic SO act so playful. And she was now prepared to admit, at least to herself, that she was definitely jealous that it was Simmons that brought it out in him and not her.

Suddenly she heard Ward calling her name and focused back on the cargo bay below her to see the two of them looking up at her with slightly amused and questioning looks on their faces. She hadn't even realised that they knew she was there, but then it shouldn't surprise her. Ward always had an exceptional awareness of his surroundings so he probably knew she was there from the moment she sat down.

"Uh… Sorry, what was that?" she stuttered out, having no idea what he had apparently asked her.

"I just asked if you wanted to join us for some balance exercises before we start your training," Ward repeated with what almost looked like a smile on his face.

Skye glanced at the time on her phone and realised it was just about time for her training. She didn't realise she had been sitting there watching them for so long. A part of her wanted to turn him down, because she didn't know if she could handle them up close without snapping, but the larger part of her couldn't say no and leave the two of them alone some more.

"Sure," Skye replied, pasting her best fake smile on her face and getting to her feet. "It couldn't hurt me to improve my balance a little, given my tendency to trip over air."

Ward gave her a small smile at that, and then waited for her to join them on the mats before going through some basic balance exercises with the two girls.

* * *

Something was wrong with his rookie. That was all Ward could think as they went through her training session. He had seen it when she first agreed to join him and Simmons before the session, noticing that the smile she had on her face was definitely not real. Then she had been short with him whenever he tried to talk to her as they trained.

She was hitting the bag now, with much more force than usual, and he couldn't figure out when and how he had managed to upset her. He was fairly sure it was his fault somehow though, because when Fitz had passed through on the way to the lab she was all smiles and jokes with him.

He thought back over the past couple of days to see if he could pinpoint when she had started being angry with him. Recalling their training session from that morning, he realised she had seemed a bit off even then, but she had seemed mostly okay the night before. So somehow, he must have managed to piss her off between going to bed last night, and training that morning. The only thing that happened in that time was breakfast, and he couldn't recall anything happening at breakfast that should have upset her.

"Okay, I think that's enough for today," he said, stopping her from hitting the bag again.

"What? Why?" she questioned, turning to glare at him.

"I just thought you might want an early mark from training because-"

"You've got something better to do?" she interrupted, almost spitting the words at him.

"No. You've just been working hard lately, so I thought it might be nice to have an early finish today. Maybe we can play a board game or watch a movie?" he asked hesitantly, not wanting to upset her any more. He didn't know why she seemed even angrier when he said they were going to finish up early. Usually she would jump at the chance to cut training short.

She continued to stare at him for a few moments, although the stare lost some of its heat. She seemed to be considering him now, almost seeing if he was telling the truth.

"Okay," she finally responded. "I'll go get cleaned up and meet you in the lounge?" The look on her face had softened and she was almost smiling at him now.

"Sure," he replied, giving her a soft smile. "I'll ask FitzSimmons if they want to join us and then get cleaned up as well and meet you there."

When he mentioned asking FitzSimmons her face hardened minutely again, before she gave a slight huff and turned away. "Sure, ask the scientists too," she muttered.

With that, she hurried up the stairs and away from him. He didn't know where he had gone wrong, but she had seemed to be softening towards him and now she was pissed at him again.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Hey big bro," Simmons said in her new favourite greeting to him as Ward walked into the lab.

"Hey baby sis," he replied with her favourite response and a smile. "Where's Fitz?" he asked, looking around. He hadn't seen the engineer leave, but he may have gone out the back way.

"He went in search of a snack. You know what he's like," Simmons replied shaking her head.

Ward nodded in agreement. "I cut training short, so Skye and I were going to play a board game, want to join?" he asked.

"Sure, I've just got to finish up here. Give me about twenty minutes?"

"Sounds good. I've got to clean up first anyway, so meet you in the lounge? And ask Fitz if he gets back down here without me seeing him?"

"Will do. Enjoy your shower!"

Ward went to walk back out of the lab but then turned back, "Hey Jemma?"

"Yeah?" Simmons replied looking up at the tone of his voice.

"Did anything happen at breakfast this morning?"

Simmons scrunched up her face in thought. "I don't think so. Why?"

"Skye seems to be angry with me, but I'm not sure why. She was fine last night, then seemed a little off at training this morning, and worse still at training just now. So the only time I can figure I could've possibly upset her is breakfast, but I don't remember doing anything," Ward replied, shaking his head in frustration.

Simmons frowned. "I'm pretty sure nothing happened. And I definitely don't remember you doing anything. Hmm…" she trailed off.

"I just thought I would ask. Maybe I will ask her what's bothering her later. I better go grab a shower anyway. See you soon," Ward said before leaving the lab.

Simmons watched him go with a perplexed look on her face. She couldn't understand why Skye would be upset with Ward. She was fairly certain that the hacker had something of a crush on her SO so for her to be seemingly angry with him for no reason didn't make a lot of sense. She had become quite close to Ward since jumping from the plane, claiming him completely as her big brother and she knew that he had some sort of feelings for his rookie so she wanted to help him in any way she could.

She would observe the two of them when she joined them in the lounge and see if she could see what Ward saw, and if she could figure out why if it was true. She didn't want her big brother to be hurting after all.

Fitz walked in then, pulling her from her thoughts. "Was Ward just in here?" he asked with a frown on his face.

"Yes," she replied distractedly. "Yes, sorry. He was asking if we wanted to join him and Skye in the lounge for a game. I told him that I just had to finish up what I'm doing here and we'd be up. You didn't have anything else that needed to be finished right away did you?"

"That's fine," Fitz replied. "I just have to finish up cleaning the bots, but I should be done by the time you're done."

"Excellent," Simmons said with a small smile before returning to what she was doing.

They both worked quietly then to finish what they were doing before heading up to the lounge.

Only Skye was in the lounge when they entered, sitting in one of the corners of the lounge playing with her phone. She looked up when she heard them coming in, her face falling slightly before she pasted a smile on her face.

"Ward will be here in a moment, he just finished up in the shower," Skye muttered.

"So what are we playing?" Fitz asked.

"I was thinking Clue," Ward said as he walked in behind the scientists. "It was always one of my favourites. I used to play with my little brother and sister."

Skye and Fitz were shocked that Ward was talking about his past, but Simmons just gave him a smile.

"Well I'm definitely going to beat you. I'm brilliant at Clue," she said, knowing that Ward wouldn't want to dwell on what he had said.

"You're brilliant at everything," he said in reply with a grateful smile in her direction. "But that doesn't mean you're going to win."

Out of the corner of her eye, Simmons saw Skye rolling her eyes. She wasn't sure what to make of that so decided to file it away for later.

"I'm gonna grab some snacks," Skye said, before storming out of the room.

"What's up with her?" Fitz asked as he grabbed the game out of the cupboard.

"I'm not sure," Ward said, still looking in the direction his rookie had gone.

"I'll go see if she needs any help," Simmons said, looking at Ward who was still staring at the doorway. "Why don't you two set up the game?"

Ward finally turned to look at her and gave her a nod and a smile. "Sure."

* * *

Skye was slamming things around in the cupboard, looking for snacks. She wasn't even really hungry; she just had to get out of that room. She knew she was being childish, but watching them smile at each other like that was just more than she could handle today. She knew she didn't really have a right to be jealous – Ward wasn't hers. But there was something there between them, at least she thought there was, and she thought he felt it too.

"I thought I'd come and help you," Simmons said, walking into the kitchen area. "I will just grab some drinks shall I?"

"Sounds good," Skye said sullenly. She didn't want to be short with the other girl but she just couldn't get the sight of them on the floor and laughing together that morning out of her head.

"Are you okay Skye?" Simmons asked her quietly, turning to look at her.

Skye tensed, and then forced herself to relax her muscles, keeping her focus inside the cupboard, refusing to look at the other girl. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

Simmons watched Skye for a few moments before responding. "Oh no reason I suppose. You just seemed like maybe you were a little upset when you left the lounge just now, and Grant mentioned that you seemed a little off during your training earlier so-"

"What?" Skye interrupted. "What did he say? I was not off! I'm fine! He's the one that's acting weird, not me! Who doe she think he is, saying that I'm a little off?!"

"No no no no no! Skye, no! I didn't mean it like that. He thought he had done something to upset you is all. And he was worried about it, because he doesn't like you being angry or upset with him. I was just trying to help! I'm sorry. Please don't be more upset with him!" Simmons replied, all without taking a breath. She was just trying to help and now she felt like she had made things worse.

Skye stared at Simmons for a moment, taking in her concerned expression, before shaking her head. "It's okay Simmons. Sorry I overreacted a bit there. I'm just tired, I didn't sleep well last night," Skye lied. "I will talk to Ward later and tell him everything is fine." With that she gathered together the snacks and left the room, Simmons following behind her.

"Where did Ward go?" Skye asked Fitz as they entered the lounge and she saw her SO was missing.

"Coulson just asked to see him in his office again," Fitz replied, taking some of the food from Skye.

"Oh. Do you know what about?"

"I'm not sure. Coulson said some stuff but it didn't really make a lot of sense to me," The look on Fitz's face showed how confused he was over whatever Coulson had said.

"What was it he said?" Simmons asked.

"Hmm he said 'They talked, there's a thing, I have to call the bird back in half an hour if we agree. Do you have time to discuss it quickly?' Ward seemed to know what he was talking about though, 'cause he agreed right away and followed after him saying he would be back soon but to start playing without him."

The girls now wore equally as confused expressions as Fitz as they all looked at each other.

"That.." Skye began, "Is a really strange sentence. Do either of you have any idea what it could mean?"

They both shook their heads. "I suppose we have to wait and ask Ward then." At that, the three of them started up their first game of Clue, although they were all more absorbed in their thoughts of what Coulson wanted Ward for than the game itself.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"So what did they come up with?" Ward asked Coulson once they were both closed in his office. "And also, 'I have to call the bird back'? Clever."

"I thought you would like that," Coulson responded with a smile. "Besides, I couldn't say too much in front of Fitz." Ward returned the smile and a nod before Coulson continued. "Obviously they couldn't say much - and if you thought my attempts to talk in code were bad you should've heard Hawkeye, I couldn't understand half of what he was saying - but the gist of it was that Barton and Romanoff want to meet with us. I've just been informed we have to run an extraction in Siberia, which I will brief the team about when we are done here, and then we will be headed back to the Hub to deliver the intel, where we will 'coincidentally' bump into them."

Ward had a small smile on his face from the sound of Coulson's exasperation with the archer. "Sounds good sir. Hopefully if Skye sees them she doesn't go all 'fangirl' over them." Seeing Coulson's raised eyebrow, Ward's smile increased to a grin. "You know it's a strong possibility."

Coulson couldn't contain his laugh at the sound of the specialist saying the word 'fangirl', but knew he was right. If Skye saw two members of the Avengers, she might definitely make a scene, which was not something they wanted.

"Maybe we can make sure the run-in happens somewhere she won't be?" Coulson mused aloud. "An area that she doesn't have access too, perhaps. Her bracelet will prevent her from accessing the higher level restricted areas as it did at the Triskelion, so maybe we use that in our favour."

"That could work. And you can simply tell FitzSimmons that the information is above their clearance level and they won't ask more questions. What about May? Are you going to tell her? Because I don't know how she will take being left out of another meeting that I attend without explanation."

"I don't think we should tell her just yet. I'd prefer to wait until at least after we talk with Barton and Romanoff. Besides, the more people who know, the more danger we are all in. Not that I think even for a moment that May would betray us, but there's just more chance of it getting out."

"That sounds reasonable. But…" he started to ask before trailing off.

"But how are we going to have a conversation with them without her around and without making her more suspicious than she already is?" Coulson finished for Ward. Ward simply nodded his head. "I have no idea. But we will figure something out, I'm sure. Let me know if you think of anything?"

"Of course," Ward agreed.

"Okay, now let's head down and I will brief you all on the Siberia extraction."

* * *

"I'm sorry, but did you just say you are going to intentionally get captured? Like you're gonna go in there, and get captured on purpose? To be tortured? Are you insane?!" Skye demanded after Coulson had laid out the plan for the extraction of Agent Shaw in Siberia.

"Yes, that is the plan. And no, I'm not insane," Coulson responded. "SHIELD does this kind of thing all the time. And besides, Ward and May will be coming in after me to make sure we all get out. And I have no intention of actually being tortured. So everything will be fine."

Sky looked around at the other members of the team. FitzSimmons looked a little bothered but no where near how she felt and May and Ward looked like discussing your boss being captured and tortured on purpose was completely normal. But then, a man's life was at stake and Coulson said he wasn't actually going to be tortured. And May and Ward were really very good, so if anyone could get him out it would be them. Still, this was some intense stuff.

"Skye," Ward said softly, getting her attention. "May and I will get him out before anything bad happens to him. You just have to trust us."

Well when he put it like that how could she disagree? "I do trust you guys. I just, this isn't normal. Normal people don't stand around discussing intentionally getting captured and tortured like they were discussing the weather."

"It's normal for us," Ward replied. "This is what we do. This is what we're good at. This is what_ I'm_ good at."

She studied him for a moment, seeing the truth of his statements in his eyes. "Okay," she agreed finally, then turned back to Coulson. "Okay, so how's it going to work?"

* * *

"So this is the Hub?" Skye questioned as the team walked along. They had successfully extracted Agent Shaw from Siberia and were delivering some classified (as in, they weren't allowed to know about it and why was everyone else okay with that?) intel to an Agent Hand. "I think it would be more impressive if I didn't see the Triskelion first," she continued. "But it's pretty big."

Simmons smiled at her. "It is quite impressive in its own right, but you are correct, after the Triskelion it doesn't have quite the same impact."

They reached the counter with their access badges and Skye realised there was none for her again. "So I guess this is my badge again AC?" she asked, holding up the wrist with her bracelet.

"That's right. Now guys, Agents May, Ward and I will need to go and meet with Agent Hand shortly, so you all need to try not to get yourselves in any trouble. And what I mean by that is try and avoid anything that draws unnecessary attention to yoursel-"

" PHIL COULSON IS THAT YOU?!" they all suddenly heard. They all turned to look at the man who had shouted across the room, instantly recognising him as Agent Barton.

"Grant Ward! What are you doing here?" suddenly there was a blur of red hair and then Agent Romanoff had her arms wrapped around Ward and was greeting him like a long lost friend, just as Barton reached the group and embraced Coulson.

Ward and Coulson acted convincingly enough that no one would be able to tell they had been expecting this. They had ended up deciding that going for completely obvious would work better than trying to sneak in a meeting with the two Avengers. It had been decided amongst the four of them (in a very entertaining phone conversation where they were all trying to talk in code and everyone barely understood everyone else, but they managed) that Romanoff and Barton would spot them in the lobby, where they would both be shocked to see Coulson alive and would want to drag him off for a quick catch up. Romanoff had helped with some of Ward's training when he was in the Academy (there was a reason he had the best espionage scores since hers), so they were going to play that up to their advantage to get him included in the catch up away from the others.

"We saw you die! How can you be standing in front of us?" Barton demanded of Coulson.

"And you knew and didn't tell me," Romanoff said to Ward as she finally released him.

"We have a little while before we meet with Hand, how about the three of us grab a coffee and I explain it all," Coulson said, acting as though he was trying to keep the two Avengers from causing any more of a scene.

"Ward's coming too!" Romanoff insisted. "He has some explaining to do about not letting his favourite trainer know something as important as you being alive!"

"Okay, the four of us then," Coulson conceded. "We should be back in about half an hour, in plenty of time to meet up with Agent Hand," he then said to May. "Can you keep an eye on the others until then, please?"

May stared at him for a moment, sensing there was more going on than what it seemed but finally consented with a nod.

The four then moved quickly in the direction of the cafeteria, making small talk until they were out of sight and hearing range of anyone else.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"There's not a lot of guys that look that uncomfortable when Nat throws herself at them," Barton said to Ward as they took their seats in a corner of the cafeteria away from prying eyes and ears, while Coulson went to grab the coffees.

"Ward's not big on being touched," Romanoff explained for him. "He never has been, and I'm sure you can understand why Clint. Although," she continued now turning to face Ward, "I thought we had pretty much gotten past that last we saw each other."

"You took me by surprise," he said with a light smile in her direction. "When I'm expecting it your touch doesn't bother me because I got accustomed to it but I wasn't expecting you to jump on me and-"

"The girl. The pretty one with the dark hair, who seemed to be frozen staring at us. Skye I think her name is?" Romanoff interrupted. "There's something there between the two of you. Maybe not entirely, maybe you haven't talked about it, but there's something there."

She was watching him closely and he knew better than to try and lie to her so he nodded. "I don't know what yet, we haven't talked about it. And she seems to be angry with me at the moment, and I'm not sure why. But yes. There's something there. And I imagine she was probably frozen with shock at the two of you being there. I'm sure she's incredibly unhappy about it now."

Coulson walked up then with the tray of drinks.

"Alright, let's get down to it. What's the plan?" he asked as he passed out the cups.

"There's not a lot to it at the moment, we mostly set up this meeting because we wanted to see you. Basically, Fury wants Ward to keep doing what he's been doing with Garrett but keep you updated on any communication he has with him," Barton began, pausing for Ward and Coulson to give nods of agreement.

"The rest of us will all keep our ears open and do some quiet investigations, nothing that can lead back to us, and definitely nothing that can lead back to you Ward, but just trying to find out as much as we can," Romanoff continued. "We also want you to feed some things back to Garrett about the team. Nothing big, just little things that he might try to use to his advantage that could lead to him tipping his hand."

"What kind of things?" Coulson asked warily. He didn't like the idea of the team being in danger.

"Nothing big," Barton repeated what Romanoff had said. "Things like how close certain members of the team are or random small facts about them. Stuff that makes it seem like you're still working for him but shouldn't really have any impact, especially since you will both know what's been said. Even make stuff up if you want, as long as-" he stopped talking as he spotted something over Coulson's shoulder. "Your team just walked in."

"What?" Coulson asked turning to look in the direction Barton was looking. Sure enough, there was the rest of the team walking into the cafeteria.

Ward turned to look in that direction too. They all saw the moment Skye spotted them, as she let out a squeal and even May wasn't quick enough to stop her from running up to their table.

"I'm interrupting, I know I am but it's just… OH MY GOD ! You're Black Widow and Hawkeye; you're part of the Avengers; OH MY GOD! I just, this is the coolest thing ever!" she said in a voice much more high pitched than normal.

The four of them were staring at her with looks of varying amusement, but it was Ward who spoke first, nudging Coulson, "Told you she would fangirl."

Coulson just laughed at the specialist with a nod. Unfortunately for Ward his comment got Skye's attention directed at him and away from the Avengers across the table.

"And you! How could you not tell me Natasha Romanoff was one of your trainers?!" she demanded, smacking his shoulder with the back of her hand.

"Uh," Ward stuttered, reaching up to rub his shoulder. "It never came up?"

"It never came up? IT NEVER CAME UP?! What kind of answer is that? You should have made it come up! This is something I definitely should have known!"

By this stage FitzSimmons and May had joined them at the table and everyone else in the cafeteria was looking in their direction as well.

"So much for being discreet," Romanoff muttered to Barton while grinning at the complaints the girl was directing at Ward. Finally, she thought maybe she should step in and save him. She had always liked Ward after all. "Skye, is it?"

Hearing her name, Skye stopped harassing her SO and turned back to face the two Avengers again. "Yes?" she squeaked.

"Don't be too hard on him," she said with a smile. "He probably genuinely just never thought to mention it. You know how men can be."

At that both Barton and Ward scoffed, while shooting glares at her. Barton opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted.

"Can I take a photo with you guys?" Skye blurted out without meaning to and then blushed when she realised she had spoken out loud.

Even May looked sort of amused by her at this point, but Barton took pity on her. "Sure thing. I, for one, always enjoy taking photos with pretty girls. Come on around here."

Skye did an excited little half jump, and then thrust her phone into her SO's hand and raced around the table to get between them. "Make sure it's a good photo Ward!" she demanded as Barton and Romanoff stood up with her between them.

Ward took a few photos of the three of them, a smile on his face at his rookie's antics. "Okay, all done," he said, handing the phone back.

"Why don't you guys join us?" Barton offered the rest of the team. It was clear they weren't going to be able to finish their conversation now anyway. Skye quickly sat down, while FitzSimmons and May took their seats more slowly. Introductions were made all round and then Skye started peppering them with questions about the other Avengers and other things they had done.

"It's just about time for our meeting with Hand," May spoke up about fifteen minutes into Skye's impromptu Q&A. "We should probably head up there."

"We should actually get going too," Romanoff said. "This was only a quick stop off for us."

"Don't worry though," Barton said at seeing a pout forming on Skye's face. "We will find time to visit your plane now that we know Coulson's alive."

"Sure. You guys are always welcome," Coulson said with a nod.

"Okay let's go Nat," Barton replied, standing up and offering handshakes (and a hug for Skye which made her squeal again).

Romanoff followed suit, hugging Coulson and Skye first then whispering in Ward's ear as she hugged him, "Remember, believable so he thinks he can use it against them."

"Will do," he replied just as quietly before pulling away. The instructions didn't seem like they would be too hard to follow, especially when he would be able to go through everything with Coulson first and they could decide together what he should share with Garrett.

"If you guys ever need anything, be sure to let us know," Barton said in parting. He said it to the whole team but was sure to make specific eye contact with Ward and Coulson. With that the two Avengers exited the cafeteria, leaving the team alone at the table.

"Okay, we really do have to get upstairs now," Coulson said to May and Ward. "You three, stay out of trouble," he said sternly to the younger members of the team.

"Yes, sir," FitzSimmons replied promptly.

"Whatever you say AC," Skye responded at the same time.

The three senior agents went to walk away, but Skye grabbed Ward's arm. "We are not finished discussing the fact the Black Widow was one of your trainers and you never told me."

"She usually prefers just Nat," he said with a smile. "And I will tell you all about it when we are done here."

"Good," she said, releasing his arm. She looked back at the table to see FitzSimmons looking at her. "This is the best day ever," she said dreamily, sitting down to look at the photos on her phone again.

**Author's note**

I didn't realise there was no breaks between scenes as they were there in my documents (thanks to the reviewer who pointed out they were missing), so I've gone through and edited the earlier chapters to add them in. Sorry if it was hard to read without them before. And thank you to everyone for the reviews, they make me smile.


	14. Chapter 13

**Author's note**

Some lines are taken from episode 7 'The Hub'

**Chapter 13**

"Are you ever going to tell me what's going on?" May asked Coulson once the three of them were in an elevator alone.

"What do you mean?" Coulson asked in reply, knowing what she was talking about but trying to pretend he didn't.

"I mean," she started, turning to look him in the eye. "That the little meeting down there in the lobby was clearly not the accident you are trying to play it off as. You played it well, even I couldn't actually tell that you were expecting it, but it's too much of a coincidence. The two of you have a private meeting with Fury and Hill and then not even two weeks later we run into Barton and Romanoff. There's clearly something more going on here. And I don't like being left out of the loop."

"You're right," Coulson responded. He wasn't going to tell her anything right now, but he wasn't going to try and play her for a fool either. Melinda May was far too smart for that. "There is something going on, but we can't tell you yet. We-"

"Why can Ward know and not me?" she demanded. She didn't want to sound petty, but she thought her and Coulson were closer than this. She thought she would be the one he confided in, not the younger specialist.

"Ward knew before me. It's a situation he brought to me and that's all I will say on the matter for now. We will tell you, we will bring you in on this. But for right now, I need for you to trust us. To trust me, when I say I can't tell you anything right now. And I will as soon as I can."

May stared at him carefully, before turning to Ward who was watching the play between them closely. "How about you? Can you tell me?"

"Not at this time," Ward replied, his stoic specialist mask firmly in place. She knew that there was no way she would get any answers out of him if he didn't want to give them, there was a reason he was so good at his job.

"Fine," she replied, turning away from the two men. If it was anyone else she probably wouldn't care that they were keeping secrets, but she didn't like Phil keeping things from her.

* * *

The meeting with Hand was going as expected until she said that they needed someone who could disarm the device on the spot with no specs. It took Ward a few moments to realise who she might mean and he couldn't stop the expression on his face, he just barely managed to stop an eye roll.

"Do you mean-"

"I think she does," Coulson said, turning to also look at Agent Hand.

"Agent Fitz," Hand said. "He's the best there is; he's what we need for this. And we need you to get him in and out Agent Ward."

Ward just stared at her for a few moments. Why did things like this have to happen to him. He was going to have to take his surrogate little sister's best friend into dangerous territory and protect him. He liked Fitz, truly he did. He was like an annoying little brother himself. But the engineer just had a way of wearing on his patience, and now he was going to be responsible for him. This was just great.

"Sure. Of course," he said in reply, keeping the rest of his thoughts to himself. He could do this. And Fitz wasn't as incompetent as when they first met. They could do this.

A little while later, watching Fitz – genius-IQ-Fitz – being outsmarted by a door, Ward was rethinking that statement. He really didn't know if they could do this.

"Seriously?" he asked Coulson with raised eyebrows, before shaking his head. This was not going to go well. The only plus side to this whole mission that he could think of was that he could avoid having that talk with Skye about having Romanoff as a trainer.

* * *

"You know I will do everything I can to protect him, right?" Ward asked Simmons quietly as he stepped up beside where she was watching Fitz get ready for their mission.

He had been shocked when he found out the young engineer was going to be accompanying him for the mission. He was still a little wary, but he knew when it came to the device, Fitz would be the best man for the job. That didn't stop him from being concerned about going into dangerous territory with an untrained man though. Especially an untrained man that was important to his surrogate little sister.

"I know," she replied with a smile, leaning her head against his shoulder and wrapping her arm around his waist. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a one armed hug.

"And I will make sure he gets back to you, I promise."

"I know that too." Simmons turned her head so she could look at Ward's face. "And I know that a promise from my big brother means something. But you better not do anything stupid to make sure he gets back here. I expect you to come home with him. No sacrificing yourself," she said sternly.

He smiled softly at her. "I won't do anything that isn't absolutely necessary," he responded. "Now it looks like he could use a hand and I need to go and finish getting ready. I'll see you before we leave." With that he gave her a quick squeeze around the shoulders and then quickly walked away.

Simmons watched him walk away then entered the room where Fitz was. He heard her coming in and looked up, offering her a small smile.

"Are you and Ward together?" Fitz blurted out suddenly. He had been trying not to say anything but something had changed between the two in the past few days and he just couldn't stop himself from asking.

"What? No! What are you talking about? Why would you even ask that?" Simmons sputtered. How could Fitz think that?

"Well it's just that you've been spending a lot of time together since you jumped and something seems to have changed between you and-"

"Yes things have changed between us, of course they have! He saved my life and we were alone in the middle of the ocean together for hours! But not like that! He is like my big brother and he thinks of me like a little sister! Not like whatever it is you are thinking!" Simmons stated indignantly.

"Oh. I guess that makes sense. But you have to be able to see that that isn't how it looks from the outside. And I don't think I'm the only one who thinks so either. I think maybe that's why Skye was so-"

"Oh no," Simmons moaned, interrupting. "Oh no, oh no, oh no. That's why she was… she thinks… oh goodness. This is not good. I have to go, Fitz, I will be back soon."

With that she took off running before he could respond, leaving the engineer feeling very confused. But at least Ward and Simmons weren't dating, so that was a plus. He was still curious though, so he followed after Simmons to see where she was running off to.


	15. Chapter 14

**Authors note**

Some lines are taken from episode 7 'The Hub'

**Chapter 14**

"She thinks we're dating!" Simmons half shouted as she burst into Ward's bunk. It only took her a second to realise why the door had been shut and that she hadn't knocked – Ward was in the middle of getting changed and was still buttoning his pants. "Oh goodness, sorry, sorry. I should've knocked!" she said, closing her eyes.

"It's okay Jemma, at least I'm not completely indecent," he replied with a slightly embarrassed chuckle while quickly fastening his pants the rest of the way and grabbing a shirt to put on. "Now what is it you were saying? Who thinks we're dating? And why does anyone think we're dating?" Ward's brow furrowed, why would anyone think they were dating? He definitely didn't look at Simmons like that.

"Right, yes. Skye! At least, I think maybe that's what she thinks. It would explain why she's been weird towards you. She's upset because she thinks you and I are together!" Simmons stated excitedly, pleased that she had figured out why the hacker seemed to be angry with the specialist.

"But why would she think we're dating? And what makes you think that that is what she thinks?" Ward asked, not sure where all this was coming from.

Simmons decided she better start from the beginning, because Ward was obviously confused.

"Okay, when I went in to help Fitz just now he asked me if you and I were together, which I thought was just crazy so I asked him why he would think that. And he said it's because something had obviously changed between us since we jumped out of the plane and we've been spending a lot of time together. And I knew that was true, but obviously we know that there's nothing going on, but from an outsider's point of view it looks like-"

"Like we've started dating," Ward interrupted, catching on to her train of thought. "And if Fitz thinks that then chances are Skye does as well because she is quite perceptive of the way people interact with each other. And she probably noticed-"

"The clear affection between us," Simmons interrupted him this time. "And without knowing that for us it's a big brother/ little sister thing, it could look like something else entirely."

"That does make a lot of sense. I didn't even think of how it could look to the others because it seems so obvious to me how things are between us. And she's angry with me, because she's jealous, right?" Ward asked. He knew that there was something between him and his rookie but he wasn't sure if she felt the same as he did and needed Simmons to confirm that he was thinking on the right track with this part.

"Yes I'm pretty sure that's what it is. She clearly has some kind of feelings towards you, as you do to her, and you said she only started acting weird after breakfast that day right? And that was the day I asked you-"

"To teach you to fight," Ward picked up on where she was going with this right away. "So not only is she potentially jealous of a relationship between us, but she also feels like-"

"She's being replaced, like I'm stealing her SO," Simmons finished for him. "And that SO/rookie connection between the two of you is so important to her, if she feels like she's losing it to me of course she might start lashing out, especially at you. Because she feels like-"

"It doesn't matter to me as much as it matters to her," it was his turn to interrupt again. "But it does, it's so important to me too."

"I know," Simmons said quietly. "I think maybe you need to tell her that. Let her know what is, or is not as the case may be, going on between us and that the connection the two of you share is unique and important to you. I would tell her, but I think-"

"It will mean more if it's coming from me."

"Is it that strange when Simmons and I do that?" Fitz asked suddenly from the door, making Simmons jump. Ward had realised he was there from the moment he started hovering but hadn't said anything because he had no problem with Fitz hearing what he and Simmons were discussing.

"Fitz! Don't do that!" Simmons said sharply. "Wait, do what?"

"Finish each others thoughts and sentences," Fitz replied, watching as Ward and Simmons looked at each other with dawning realisation. Apparently they hadn't even noticed they were doing it. Obviously they had really embraced this brother/ sister thing quickly.

"I think maybe it's less strange when the two of you do it," Ward finally replied to Fitz question. "But I didn't even realise we were doing that just now."

"And you shouldn't be eavesdropping in doorways anyway Fitz!" Simmons said indignantly. "This was a private conversation that you had no business listening in on!"

"It's okay, Jemma," Ward said, knowing she was only getting worked up over it because she thought he would be upset at what Fitz heard. "I knew he was there, and I didn't mind him hearing what we were talking about." He smiled reassuringly at her when she turned back to face him.

She returned his smile and was about to respond when Coulson walked up to them.

"You boys just about ready to go?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes sir, all ready," Ward replied.

"Almost," Fitz answered at the same time. "I just have to pack a few more things." With that he hurried off back to his bunk, knowing he got distracted and needed to finish up quickly.

"I will go give him a hand," Simmons said. "Don't forget what we talked about!" she said to Ward before she walked away.

"After the mission!" he called after her, knowing he couldn't have that conversation with Skye before he left, or it could affect his focus..

"What was all that about?" Coulson asked.

Ward looked carefully at his leader for a moment, and then asked him a question instead of answering his. "Do you think Simmons and I are together?"

Coulson's eyes widened slightly before he schooled his expression. He had definitely not been expecting the younger man to ask him that. "Well, you have been spending a lot of time together recently, and it does seem like something changed in your relationship after you saved her. But then, I sort of thought you had feelings for Skye. So really, I just wasn't sure."

"Huh," Ward said, staring off into space and thinking about what the older man had said. "You're right. There is something between Skye and I, but we haven't addressed it yet. That's what Simmons was talking about. Skye has seemed kind of angry with me lately and Simmons thinks it's because Skye is under the impression that Jemma and I are dating, and that she's being replaced because I have started teaching Jemma to fight. So I need to talk to Skye about it after the mission. Because Simmons is like a little sister to me and she's important to me. But no one could replace Skye for me. The connection we have matters to me."

Coulson was a little shocked at such an outpouring of feelings from the usually stoic man, but he appreciated the honesty in it. When Ward explained he could see how the situation had easily been misread for something it wasn't. He was glad that Ward was going to sort it out with his rookie when he got back. Relationships between team members may be frowned upon, but he thought it could be good for both the specialist and the hacker, so as long as they treated each other right, he wasn't going to stand in the way.

"Just tell her that. I think she will understand. And I'm sure she will appreciate your honesty," he finally responded to Ward. "Now, we need to go over a few things before you go. May's waiting in the control room."

* * *

"More moving, less talking, Agent Ward," Fitz said as he walked through the control room Ward May and Coulson were standing in. Simmons and Skye were now standing in the doorway he had just walked through. "Time's not on our side."

Ward looked at both Coulson and May before turning to follow him from the room.

"Wait!" Simmons shouted suddenly, causing everyone to freeze. The next thing anyone knew she had thrown herself at Ward, wrapping her arms tight around his middle. "Please make sure you come home," she whispered, but loud enough that everyone heard.

He had wrapped his arms around her in return and softly acknowledged her. "I will do my best to make sure we both make it back."

Simmons pulled back and stared at him for a moment, then nodded her head and released him completely. He returned her nod, before turning and leaving the room with Fitz. May left the room in the other direction.

"Does this feel okay to you?" Skye finally spoke up. "Shouldn't we be going in with them?"

"The people that put these ops together are the best of the best," Coulson reassured her. "They know what they're doing."

He then left the room in the same direction as May, leaving the two girls staring after where Ward and Fitz had left.


	16. Chapter 15

**Authors note**

Some lines are taken from episode 7 'The Hub'

**Chapter 15**

Ward listened as Fitz told stories on the drive through the Caucasus Mountains. The engineer was getting a little on his nerves, but he could appreciate that he was just trying to make conversation. And the stories about Simmons he did find a little amusing, even if he would never admit that to Fitz.

"You have the beacon?" he asked Fitz flatly.

"Yeah," he replied, handing it over, before trying to explain why his story was funny. Upon receiving a continued blank look from Ward he muttered, "Simmons actually tells it a lot better than I do."

"I imagine she would," Ward said in reply, before offering Fitz a small smile. Then he got serious, "Listen my contact's Uri Debrovski, we'll pay him to get us across the border. We go back, but he doesn't like new people. So keep your mouth shut and your head down."

Ward then entered the bar and approached the bar, speaking to the man behind in Russian. Unfortunately, it didn't go well when they said Uri was dead. He pulled Fitz slightly behind him as the man in front of him pulled a gun.

* * *

"What's happening?" Fitz asked Ward in a whisper from where he was bound beside him. "Why haven't they killed us yet? I mean, I'm glad they haven't killed us yet but…"

"They're waiting for their boss," Ward replied. "So before he gets here we need a plan. How long can you hold your breath underwater?" he asked Fitz suddenly.

"I don't know," Fitz replied, a little confused.

"Are you familiar with the term 'slam and cram'?" Ward asked with a considering expression.

"No, and I don't think I want to be," Fitz replied, feeling a little wary of Ward's suggestions.

"How attached are you to your pinky?" Ward demanded, keeping his face completely serious. There was no way he was going to hurt Fitz to get them out of this, but the horror on the engineer's face was somewhat amusing.

"Very, very attached!" Fitz said firmly. "And before you ask another terrifyingly vague question let me be clear, any plan that involves even one of those scenarios isn't going to work for me. As a matter of fact.." he trailed off as there was movement at the door.

The conversation with the boss was not going well, until suddenly the power all went out. Fitz quickly offered to fix it and found himself being dangled by the legs through a hole to fix the problem, with the boss, Martha, affectionately calling him 'little bear' in Russian. He swiftly fixed the problem, which earned him the appreciation of everyone there. Ward found it hard to contain his smile as he watched him, then gave him a pointed look to get around to what they needed.

Once they were in the back of the truck on the way Ward couldn't stop from picking at him. "Two million rubles, we really need to work on your negotiation skills."

"I thought they were like pesos," Fitz defended himself. "Beside, you should be thanking me; I shorted the fuse box while we were tied up with my localised EMP device."

"Really?" Ward asked, impressed.

"And my plan worked, because we're over the border now aren't we?"

The truck stopped suddenly and Ward fought the two guys who were there, before he saw another truck coming. He was again impressed when Fitz was already taking off and swiftly followed him.

They made their way to a drainage pipe to hide and wait out the border patrol.

"It's sweet, the way you are with Simmons," Fitz said after they had been sitting there for a while.

"What do you mean?" Ward asked looking at him closely.

"You care about her, clearly. And it's nice to see. You opening up a little, and for her. She's never had a sibling and we're each others closest friends, so it's nice to see her with someone else she really cares about."

"It's nice," Ward said quietly, "to care about people like that. And it's not just Simmons, I care about you too Fitz. If Simmons is like my little sister I suppose you're like a little brother in some ways. You certainly frustrate me the way only a little brother could."

"You mentioned the other day that you had a brother you played board games with?" Fitz asked. He didn't want to push Ward but the older man was opening up a little already so he thought a few questions wouldn't hurt.

"I did," Ward said sadly. "But he uh, he's not around anymore, and I wasn't always a good big brother to him. Or to my sister. I'm going to do better with Simmons though," Ward insisted, wanting Fitz to know that he would watch out for Simmons.

"In just what I've seen the past few days you're already a good big brother to her. And I think you could be a good big brother to me too," Fitz offered with a small smile.

Ward returned the smile with a nod, "Yeah, I think I could be."

They fell into silence after that. A few hours later, after it had gotten dark, Fitz asked a question he had been thinking on for a while, "Why do you think SHIELD sent in just the two of us?"

"I don't know," Ward replied. "They said they needed a guy like you and a guy like me."

Fitz started digging in his bag then, for the sandwich Simmons had given him.

"Is that a sandwich?" Ward asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Simmons made it, it's my favourite," Fitz replied with a smile. "She told me I have to share it with you though," he continued with a disgruntled expression.

Ward grabbed the sandwich and threw it, before taking a few deep breaths. He didn't want to snap at the engineer, and he knew Jemma's heart had been in the right place, but they really couldn't have a sandwich, especially while they were being tracked by dogs.

"What. The. Hell." Fitz demanded.

"Fitz," he started calmly, "we are being tracked. By dogs. We really can't have a sandwich, it's way too easy for them to get the scent of."

Fitz looked up at him with a frown. "But it's delicious."

"Fitz, please! I'm sure it is delicious, and I know it was a kind gesture, but it could have lead to us being caught."

"It was just a sandwich!"

"I'm just trying to take care of you, Fitz. I –"

"Of course! Because you always have to be the hero right? Throw the last punch; swoop in and save the girls?" Fitz interrupted him.

"No," Ward said quietly, but firmly. "I just have to make sure you get back to Jemma. Because you are her best friend and I promised her I would look out for you, so that is what I am doing."

That put a stop to Fitz's growing anger. Because he could understand where Ward was coming from. He made a promise to Jemma too, to make sure her big brother got home. And he supposed Ward knew more about this than he did, so if he thought the sandwich could prevent them from getting home then Fitz knew he should trust him. Besides, he knew Ward was looking out for him too.

"Okay," Fitz conceded. "But let's not tell Simmons that you threw her sandwich, because that might upset her."

Ward agreed with a small smile, thankful Fitz had come around so quickly. "Sure Fitz, we will tell her it was delicious."

That earned him a smile in return from the engineer before they fell back into silence until it was time to move.


	17. Chapter 16

**Author's note**

Some lines are taken from episode 7 'The Hub'

**Chapter 16**

As they lay waiting for their pick up, Fitz was still going on about the sandwich. Although Ward got the impression that now he was just talking about it to tease Ward for 'saving them from the world's most dangerous sandwich'. Fitz used those exact words and everything. Thankfully he heard the truck coming, which put an end to Fitz's rant about his sandwich.

They got in to where the overkill device was with little trouble; Ward simply had to take out a few guards. Unfortunately, there had been no response to his signal for an extraction, but he kept that to himself for now not wanting to worry Fitz.

"This is gonna take a while," Fitz said while looking at the core of the device.

"You have ten minutes," Ward replied flatly.

"I thought you'd say five," Fitz replied, already starting to work.

"Alright, show me the final steps to disable this thing, I'll get it done," Ward said a few minutes later. Knowing there was likely no extraction coming, he wanted Fitz to get a head start.

"No we stick to the extraction plan, I'll be done in a minute," Fitz said in reply.

"The extraction plan's a bust, they didn't make contact. Once you take that thing apart and I set off that beacon, we're on our own. So, you should go."

Fitz fought him on it and Ward couldn't understand where the hostility was coming from.

"Before we left, Simmons spoke to me too," Fitz said, "She asked me to make sure that you came home. She knew you might do something stupid to save me and she wanted me to make sure you didn't. I'm not going anywhere. You understand?"

That gave Ward pause. He could understand now why Fitz seemed so worked up. He didn't want to break a promise to Simmons any more than Ward himself did.

"Okay," Ward conceded. "So we both need to get out of here. Let's do this."

Fitz finished up a few minutes later and Ward signalled the beacon. Unfortunately, removing the last part of the device set off an alarm. But luckily, Fitz thought he could hook it up to use against the men trying to stop them. Ward trusted the scientist, he knew how brilliant he was, so they come up with a new plan together, even if Fitz only thought it would work theoretically.

The two of them fought off the men attacking them, working quite well together. Ward did most of the actually fighting, while Fitz used his device to take out their weapons.

They made their way outside, where they found themselves faced with over a dozen men with heavy weapons, all the while hearing the air strike by SHIELD attacking the compound in the background. Suddenly a large shadow cut across them.

"It's the extraction team," Fitz said.

"Better. It's the cavalry," Ward replied with a smile, recognising the bus. "Never get tired of seeing that."

May used the propulsion jets to send the men opposing them flying and they were quickly picked up by their team and able to get out of their.

* * *

"Thanks for coming to get us sir," Ward said, shaking Coulson's hand in the cargo bay. He could see both Simmons and Skye in the lab staring at him and Fitz.

"We take care of our own," Coulson replied firmly, with a handshake for Fitz too.

"Well done Fitz, so glad you're alright," Simmons said stiffly from where she was standing.

"Yep, good to see you too," he replied just as stiffly.

"Oh!" Simmons said with more enthusiasm. "The sandwich, how was it?"

Ward saw Fitz freeze and knew he needed to step in, "It was delicious," he said, stepping up to the two scientists.

Simmons turned to him with a smile. "Oh I'm so glad." Then she threw her arms around him again. "And I'm glad to see you didn't do anything stupid."

"I tried," Ward said with a smile at Fitz. "But it turns out I have a little brother to stop me from doing stupid, self-sacrificing things now."

Fitz returned the smile with a nod and then threw his arms around the two of them, making Ward and Simmons laugh. Ward made eye contact with Skye over their heads, and then nudged them towards the lab, knowing he needed to talk to her. Taking the hint, the two gave him big smiles then moved into the lab.

"You know, for a second there I thought I'd have to find a new supervising officer," Skye said, giving him a punch to the shoulder.

"Sorry to disappoint," Ward replied with a smile in his eyes. "The truth is," he continued, looking at the scientists in the lab, "I was in good hands."

Fitz looked at him then and they gave each other a nod. Then he turned back to see Skye smiling back at him. "You have a few minutes?" he asked her.

"Sure," Skye said. "What's up?"

Ward knew he wanted to have this conversation in private so he reached for her hand and tugger her up the stairs. "Let's talk in my bunk."

Skye followed after him easily, knowing she needed to talk to him too about how she had been acting lately. She knew that even though it would hurt her, if he was happy with Simmons then she should try and be happy for him.

They reached his bunk and sat on opposite ends of his bed, both avoiding eye contact. Ward knew he should start talking but had no idea how to start the conversation he wanted to have.

"Simmons and I are not dating," he blurted out suddenly, breaking the silence after almost five minutes. He cringed a little, seeing her eyebrows shoot up. He sort of wished he had started somewhere different, but he had said it now so he would just have to go with it.

"What I mean is, Fitz was under the impression that Simmons and I were together, and that is not the case and I really didn't want you thinking it was."

"Why does it matter to you if I think that's the case?" Skye asked quietly. She was pleased to hear this, but she wasn't prepared to give anything away yet. Maybe his telling her had nothing more to it than wanting there to be no misunderstandings.

"It matters to me because you matter to me. And I don't want there to be any confusion between us. Simmons and I have gotten closer since we jumped from the plane, but in a brother/ sister way, not in any kind of romantic way. She reminds me of my little sister sometimes, and I didn't do a very good job of protecting my little sister so I'm determined to do a better job with Simmons. And a part of that is in teaching her to protect herself, that's why I'm teaching her to fight and defend herself. But that doesn't change anything between you and I Skye," he paused to watch her until she made eye contact with him. "You are my rookie, and you are important to me and nothing can come between that relationship we have. You can not be replaced, as far as I'm concerned."

Skye studied his open expression for a few moments. She nodded, deciding that he was being honest. "You're important to me too," she admitted quietly, looking down at her lap. "And you being my SO, that connection between us. It matters to me. A lot. I didn't realise how much until I thought I was losing it."

"That's why you've been upset with me?" he asked, causing her head to shoot up to look at him again. "Skye, I'm trained to notice everything happening around me and you think I wouldn't notice you being snappy with me? Give me more credit than that."

"You're right," she replied. "I should have known that you would notice, but I was a little stuck in my own head about the whole thing. I should've just spoken to you I guess."

"Yeah," he agreed easily. "You know you can talk to me about anything right?"

"I do," she said immediately. "I do know that."

He was watching her carefully, he thought about opening up to her about his feelings too but he decided he wanted to tell her everything first. He wanted her to know the entire truth before they had that talk, and to do that he needed to talk to Coulson first. Because it wasn't only up to him when she could know. And besides, he would need a few days to get himself ready for any potential fallout first.

"So," she started with a mischievous look on her face, after a few minutes of silence. "Tell me all about training with Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow!"

"She really does prefer just Nat," he said with a chuckle, before telling her all he could about what Nat had taught him.


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Ward watched Skye as she ran off to apologise to Simmons for 'being kinda mean to her, even though she totally helped me with my bad girl shenanigans' – Skye's exact words. Apparently a lot had happened at the Hub while he and Fitz were on their mission, including his rookie hacking classified files and his baby sis shooting a superior officer. He was definitely going to have to talk to her about that later, he thought shaking his head with a smile.

His phone rang then, and looking down at the display, the smile slipped from his face. Garrett. He took a few calming breaths and got himself ready before answering the phone. "Sir, it's nice to hear from you," Ward lied with a grimace. He just had to be convincing, to keep Garrett from the truth.

"Son, it's been a while since we spoke. I thought I would see how you were doing with my old pal Phil. You getting on okay with everyone?" Garrett said loudly through the phone. Ward could picture the grin that would be on his face and it made a shiver run through him.

"Yeah sure," he said in reply.

"Good, good. You got a few minutes to talk to your old SO?" This question was a code Garrett had insisted on, to be able to talk to Ward and be sure no one could overhear. Ward made sure there was no one around before answering, even though he knew he would be sharing the conversation with Coulson afterwards.

"Of course. What's up sir?"

"You need to do something about May. Her reputation is well earned and she's the biggest threat you have there. So you need to do something to throw any possible suspicion off you. Distract her, so she won't see it. Throw her off her game. I don't care what you do or how, but do something," Garrett said, the order clear in his tone. "I expect you to have a plan in place the next time we speak."

"Will do sir. I will think of something," Ward replied as calmly as he could. He was definitely going to need to speak with Coulson about this and see if he could help come up with something.

"Excellent. The other things, I hear you had a run in with Barton and Romanoff the other day at the Hub. And a meeting with Coulson Fury and Hill a couple weeks ago?" the question was clear in his voice.

Damn, Barton and Romanoff he could play off as a coincidence, but they hadn't discussed what he should say the meeting with Fury and Hill was about if Garrett asked. Thinking on his feet, he gave the best answer he could come up with. "You heard about the hacker Coulson brought on betraying the team for an old boyfriend?" he asked, getting a sound of affirmation from Garrett. "Well Coulson just wanted to touch base with Fury and Hill about what happened and keeping her on the team. They know how he is though and you know he's Fury's favourite so there was no real issue. Then Barton and Romanoff spotted Coulson when we were in the Hub and wanted to grill him on being alive. Nat was annoyed at me that I hadn't let her know when I was assigned to his team."

"Sounds about right. Romanoff always had something of a soft spot for you, so there's no great surprise she would be all over you about not telling her about Phil," Garrett said with a chuckle. Ward breathed a sigh of relief, looks like his on the spot answer was convincing enough. "Well I've gotta go. You keep outta trouble, son." With that, Garrett hung up.

Ward took a couple of minutes to calm down and then headed to Coulson's office. He entered after knocking and was glad to find Coulson alone. "Got a minute sir?"

"Sure Ward, come in," Coulson replied, putting the documents he had been looking at aside.

"Garrett just got in contact with me," Ward said once he had settled in a seat across from the older agent.

"What about?" Coulson asked.

"Mostly about May. He wants me to distract her to keep her off guard. I think maybe now would be the time to bring her in on this. He told me the next time we speak he wants me to have a plan in place, so I will need a story to give him for what I'm doing to keep her off guard. I thought if we were both thinking on it maybe we could come up with something that he will believe?"

"Of course. I will give it some thought and once we've come up with a plan then we will bring May in on all this," Coulson agreed.

"Okay, good. The other thing was he asked about the meeting we had with Fury and Hill and bumping in to Barton and Romanoff. I played Barton and Romanoff off as a coincidence, and them being annoyed you were alive and they didn't know. And told him the meeting with Fury and Hill was about Skye and Miles and you keeping her on the team. Told him it was all fine since 'you're Fury's favourite', as Garrett likes to tell me all the time."

"Good thinking. We probably should have come up with a cover story for that meeting but to be honest I didn't even think of it," Coulson said with a shrug.

"Neither did I until he asked," Ward replied with his own shrug. "I just said the first thing I could think of that would explain a meeting with just the four of us and luckily he bought it."

"It was definitely a good cover. Lucky for us you're good at thinking on your feet," Coulson said with a smile.

"True sir." Ward hesitated for a moment before deciding now would be a good time to talk to Coulson about the other thing he had been thinking about. "There's, uh, there's actually another reason I was going to come talk to you today sir. It's about Skye, and what you said about how she would appreciate my honesty?" Ward started, looking to Coulson to see if he was following.

"Yes of course. I'm certain she would appreciate your honesty more than anything," Coulson agreed.

"Well I cleared up the bit about Simmons and I with her. I told her how our relationship actually is. And I uh, I wanna tell her how I feel as well. But I think if I'm going to tell her I need to be honest with her about everything, including Hydra. Because if she feels the same way and we want to actually try something then she deserves to know, even if she will hate me for it. I don't want to start off by lying to her."

Coulson considered what he was saying and realised he agreed. It wouldn't be fair of him to start something with Skye while lying so blatantly to her, and she would probably never forgive him for it when she found out if he went about it that way.

"I think you could be right about telling her," Coulson replied. "And I don't think she will hate you for it if you tell her about it and she doesn't find out later, although I can understand why you're scared. But I think you know her better than that. I think she will understand more than either of us could even imagine." They were quiet for a few minutes, before Coulson asked, "So do you want to tell her now?"

Ward thought about it for a moment, before answering. "Not yet. Soon, definitely. I just need a few days to prepare myself, in case it doesn't go well. But I think I want her to be the next person to know, before May. Because I think the more people that know before her the more chance there is of it hurting her."

"That sounds fair to me. Let me know once she knows. And if she wants to talk about it with anyone else tell her she can come to me."

"I will. Thank you sir."

"Anytime," Coulson replied as Ward stood to leave his office.

Just before he reached the door Ward turned back. "Uh sir? Simmons isn't going to be in trouble over shooting Agent Sitwell is she? Because I know he's a superior officer and all but she was just looking out for Fitz and I. And well, Sitwell is, _you know_," Ward said with emphasis on the last two words. They had agreed not to use the word Hydra too regularly just to be on the safe side.

Coulson laughed, "I smoothed things over so your baby sister isn't in too much trouble. But maybe you can have a talk with her and remind her that shooting her superiors isn't a good idea. Especially when she doesn't know he's _you know_."

"At least it was only the night night pistol," Ward said with a small chuckle.

"Small miracles," Coulson replied with his own laugh. "Now go talk to her!" he demanded while shooing the laughing, younger man out of his office.


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"What's this I hear about you shooting a superior officer, baby sis?" Ward said, walking into the lab with a mock serious expression on his face.

Simmons jumped and spun to face him. "Oh goodness don't sneak up on me like that!" she shrieked, causing both Skye and Fitz to laugh. "And I didn't mean to! I just panicked and the night night pistol was there and next thing I know I was shooting him in the chest! Oh no I'm in trouble aren't I? And they sent you to tell me because they thought it would be better coming from you and-"

"JEMMA!" Ward interrupted loudly. "Everything is fine. Coulson smoothed things over so you aren't in any trouble. It's okay. Take a breath!"

"Right," Simmons replied, taking a few deep breaths. "Okay good. So I'm not in trouble. Good. Good." By this point she was pacing back and forth while the other three looked on in amusement. She suddenly turned back to Ward and grabbed the front of his shirt, "You aren't terribly disappointed in me are you? Or angry with me? You sounded kind of angry when you came in and-"

"I'm not angry with you. Or disappointed in you," Ward reassured her, wrapping his hands around the hands still gripping his shirt. "You were just trying to look out for Fitz and I. Although maybe next time try and avoid shooting your superiors okay? That kind of thing usually isn't a great idea."

"Right, of course. You're right. I don't know what I was thinking," Simmons responded.

"I'm just glad it was the night night pistol and not an actual gun you pulled," Ward retorted with a grin. Then he gave her a wink before continuing, "Besides, I've never been overly fond of Agent Sitwell."

"It's his head right?" Skye asked with a grin of her own. "All that shiny baldness would be enough to freak anyone out."

Ward laughed while shaking his head at her.

"Now you're mocking me!" Simmons exclaimed. "I couldn't think of anything else to say!"

"Have you never flirted with anyone before?" Skye asked, still laughing over Simmons' disastrous attempt at flirting with Sitwell.

"Of course. Yes! I mean, I think so?" Simmons said unsurely.

"Did it always go that horribly?" Skye asked sympathetically.

"I don't know," Simmons replied. "I just don't think I'm very good at it. And I've never done it in a situation like that. And Fitz is no better! One time he told a girl he-"

"You promised to never tell anyone that!" Fitz exclaimed, interrupting before she could spill that embarrassing story.

Ward and Skye were laughing at the scientists as they glared at each other.

"I don't know if it's possible that he was worse than you Simmons. 'You have a gorgeous head'. I mean really. That is not how you flirt at all! At least, not if you want to actually get a positive result," she paused to catch her breath. "What about you robot?" she asked now looking at Ward appraisingly.

"What about me?" Ward asked in return.

"You got any flirting game?" she asked him.

His grin turned into a smirk. "I don't have _any_ trouble with women," he said in reply.

She could easily believe that, the man was unbelievably gorgeous and built like a god, but it didn't answer her question about whether or not he could flirt.

"If you're so good at it, why don't you show us how it's done then Skye?" Simmons suggested with mischief in her expression.

"What do you mean?" Skye asked with narrowed eyes. Simmons was up to something, she just wasn't sure what.

"A demonstration. Flirt with Ward. Just to show us what flirting should really look like," Simmons replied with an innocent expression.

Ward narrowed his eyes at her, knowing what she was up to, but said nothing curious how Skye would respond.

"What right now? In front of you guys?" Skye asked with widening eyes.

"Yes right now, in front of us. It's just to show us how it's done of course," Simmons said with a smile at the hacker.

"Fine," Skye replied, suddenly determined. "I will show you how it's done. Get over here tin man," she demanded.

"Now that's no way to speak to a guy you're trying to flirt with Skye," Ward said without moving. He was leaning back against one of the lab tables with his feet crossed at the ankles and his arms crossed over his chest, making his t-shirt strain against his biceps. Combined with the smirk still on his face, the pose made him look like walking sex.

Skye narrowed her eyes at him, knowing he was going to make this difficult. Fine, if he wanted to play it like that she would play. It's not like it would be too much of a hardship anyway. He was hot and she was into him so flirting with him would be fun, even with the science twins as an audience. She took a deep breath before sauntering over to him with a flirty but genuine smile on her face.

"Oh Agent Ward," Skye said in a sultry tone, leaning in to rest one of her hands against his chest, while the other played with the ends of her hair. "God you really are firm," she muttered without meaning to, causing Ward's smirk to increase.

"Yes Skye," Ward replied, placing his hand on her hip and stroking her back softly with his fingers. "What can I do for you?"

A shiver run through her at the feeling of his fingers on the bare skin of her back under the hem of her shirt. Yeah, she could definitely see why he had no trouble with women. This was just for show and she was ready to do anything he asked. She gave her head a little shake to clear her thoughts. _Get your head in the game Skye, you're meant to be showing them how it's done, _she said to herself.

"I was wondering," she said looking up at Ward under her lashes and running her tongue over her bottom lip. She saw his eyes flick down to her lips quickly before they met her eyes again and counted that as a point to herself. She went to continue talking but was interrupted by Coulson.

"Guys, how-" he cut himself off when he realised what he was seeing. Skye was looking a little flustered, pressed up against Ward, who was smirking down at her, while the two scientists looked on with amused expressions. "Do I even want to know?" he asked once they had all turned in his direction. He noticed with interest that Skye didn't pull away from Ward and Ward didn't move his hand off her hip.

"Skye was just giving us a demonstration, sir," Simmons replied innocently, as if she hadn't orchestrated the scene Coulson had walked in on.

"A demonstration of what, exactly?" he asked, too curious to stop himself. He had a feeling he may regret that curiosity.

"Nothing!" Skye said adamantly, at the same time Ward said, "Flirting."

"Ward!" Skye snapped, slapping his chest. "Shut up!"

"Flirting?" Coulson asked before he could stop himself.

"Yes," Simmons answered when she saw that Ward wasn't going to add anything more. "Skye was commenting on how awful my attempts were so I simply asked her to show us how it was done. Agent Ward was kind enough to volunteer as the subject."

"Volunteer?" Ward asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well okay, maybe I volunteered him," Simmons amended. "But he didn't seem to mind too much. And truth be told I think he was winning."

"Winning?" Coulson asked. "How does one 'win' at flirting?"

"Well sir. Skye was meant to be the expert here but she seems to be the one getting all flustered and Ward seems to be enjoying it," Simmons explained.

"Right. Well then," Coulson started before stopping. He really didn't know what to say to that and if the awkward silence was anything to go by then neither did anyone else.

"Was there something you needed sir?" Ward asked finally breaking the silence. Skye had finally taken a few steps back from him and he had recrossed his arms over his chest.

"Uh, yes, I'm sure there was," Coulson stuttered. "I'm not quite sure what that was though. So you all just ah, carry on I guess?" With that he hurried out of the lab, hearing the four younger team members laughing before he was even half way up the stairs.


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"Well I think that went well," Simmons said once she had calmed down enough to get more than one word out.

"Went well?" Skye all but screeched. "How can you possibly say that went well? And you," she continued turning back to point at Ward. "What were you thinking?! Telling him what was happening here! AC definitely didn't need to know that!"

"It's fine Skye," Ward replied soothingly with a smile. "He didn't really seem all that concerned."

"Yeah but still! What if he thinks there's something going on. Oh god! What if he makes one of us leave. And it'll be me because you're an agent and I'm just some hacker and-"

"Skye!" Ward said loudly grabbing her shoulders. "Calm down. He's not going to make anyone leave. Everything is fine. Just relax. It was a little harmless fun, and Coulson knows that."

Skye looked up into his eyes and managed to calm herself down. "Right. You're right. Everything's fine. I don't know why I was freaking out," she muttered the last bit.

"I think it's because Ward was beating you at flirting," Simmons chimed in, causing the hacker to glare at her.

"He was not! And besides, you can't beat someone at flirting!" Skye said firmly.

"Well okay I suppose that's true," Simmons conceded. "But if you could beat someone at flirting then Ward was definitely beating you."

"What- he- what- no! No!" Skye stammered before turning on her heel and stomping out of the lab.

Ward watched her go with a small smile on his face and a shake of his head.

"You've got it bad, big bro," Simmons said cheekily.

He turned to look at her, narrowing his eyes. "Don't think I've forgotten who orchestrated that little scene baby sis."

"It was for your own good," Fitz said with an absurdly large smile on his face.

"How do you figure?" Ward asked with a raised eyebrow, but unable to contain the smile on his face.

"Oh like you didn't enjoy having her all pressed up against you like that," Simmons laughed.

Ward just shook his head at the two scientists. He couldn't help a laugh himself though, he really did enjoy having her pressed up against him. "I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it. All I'm saying is maybe we can let it happen on its own rather than you forcing her into it, hmm?" he suggested.

"I suppose, if you insist," Simmons replied with a slight pout. She had enjoyed watching the usually unflappable Skye get all flustered over Ward.

"Now, Coulson told me I needed to talk to you about not shooting anymore superior officers. So. Don't shoot anymore of your superiors," Ward said with a semi-serious expression.

"Yes definitely, I will not shoot anymore of my superiors," Simmons agreed easily.

"Okay, glad that talk is over," Ward said with a smile. "Now tell me about what you guys are working on."

The scientists beamed at him and started talking over one and other, always pleased to have someone interested in their work.

* * *

"You okay rookie," Ward asked Skye the next morning during training. She had been a bit distracted all morning.

"What?" Skye asked looking up at him shocked like she'd forgotten he was there. "Sorry, yeah. Yes, I'm okay."

"You sure?" Ward questioned softly with a frown.

Skye finally managed to pull herself out of her own head at the tone of his voice. Looking at him carefully she realised he looked concerned and a little worried.

"I'm sure," she said with a small smile. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You've ah, seemed distracted this morning," he said warily. "And I just wanted to make sure everything was okay. That you weren't, uh, weren't upset or anything?"

"Everything's fine," she reassured him. "It's just. You know how I've been searching for my parents?"

He nodded. She had told him about her search and the redacted SHIELD file and that Coulson was going to look into it for her.

"AC found something. Well maybe something. About the person who dropped me off at the orphanage. She was a SHIELD agent, but we don't know anything else at the moment. She may be my mother, maybe, he's put in a request for more information. I guess I've just been lost in my own head thinking about it," Skye told him.

"Hmm that makes sense. But you know if you want to talk about it, I'm here right? Even if you just want to say it out loud to try and sort it out in your head I will be happy to listen," he said with a smile for her.

"I know, and thanks. It uh, it means a lot. That you're willing to listen to my babble," she replied, returning the smile.

"I like listening to you babble," he said then hesitated before continuing. "And I know that it's important to you, to find them, but don't forget that you have people here too. Even if you never find them, you're not alone in the world. You have us and we'll always be here for you. I'll always be here for you." He ducked his head as he said the last bit, embarrassed but not meaning it any less.

She leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Thank you Grant," she said softly before wrapping her arms around his waist in a hug.

He returned the hug and smiled into her hair. "Anytime," he said just as softly. They both pulled back slightly but didn't let go of each other and as he looked into her eyes he had an overwhelming urge to tell her how he felt. "Skye, I-" he started before being interrupted by Coulson's voice over the intercom.

"Meeting in the control room in five," came the announcement from the team leader.

"Come on we should head upstairs," he said softly after staring at each other for a few beats. The moment was gone now but he was okay with that. This wasn't the right place to discuss everything and he knew he had to tell her everything first.

She looked at him carefully, wondering what it was he had been about to say. The look on his face had been intense and she had a feeling it was important, but he seemed resolved now to not tell her and she knew she'd get nothing by pushing. Whatever it was, he would tell her in his own time.

"Okay," she agreed easily. "Think we have a case?" she asked as she pulled away completely and headed for the stairs.

"Either that or someone stole Coulson's Captain America mug again," he returned easily, following her up the stairs.


	21. Chapter 20

**Author's note**

Some lines are taken from episode 8 'The Well'

**Chapter 20**

"Don't say I never gave you anything," Ward said as he dumped a bucket of scraps in front of Fitz.

"Checking for alien spectrographic signatures one teeny rock at a time," Fitz muttered sullenly.

"Necessary precaution," Ward said easily. "We don't want anything alien getting in the wrong hands."

"Still, this is definitely the type of work a monkey could easily do," Fitz said looking up at him

"You're our little monkey," Ward said with a smirk as Simmons giggled, before being interrupted by her ringing phone.

She looked at the display and saw it was her parents, declining the call then seeing Fitz staring at her.

"Don't give me that look, I'll talk to them when I talk to them," she said firmly.

"Talk to who?" Ward asked with concern in his expression.

"Mum and dad. They want explanations and answers for, all this. But I don't have any answers and more importantly I haven't talked to them since I was ill and if they knew that they'd be even more terrified so you know," she said before her phone beeped again. "Why waste any of our time, really?" she said with a grimace.

"Hmm," Ward said before offering her a smile. "Parents are tough. But they just bug you because they care. It could be worse, they could not give a crap about you," he said softly so only she could hear.

She looked up at him and returned the smile, before they both got back to what they were doing.

A few minutes later one of Fitz's machines made a loud beeping sound.

"Fitz is that, um," Simmons started.

"Definitely not from here. Another piece of the ship," he confirmed, as Ward grabbed it from his hand and walked over to a table grabbing a can of.. something that looked suspiciously like disinfectant. "What are you doing?" Fitz asked him.

"Out of sight, out of mind," Ward replied locking it into a case with a gentle look at Simmons. She nodded at him before turning away. "It's why we're here," he continued. "To keep everything under control." Simmons gave him a soft, grateful smile at that.

"Guys, pack it up," Coulson said coming into the room. "We've been called over to Norway."

* * *

"I can climb it if you want," Ward said to Simmons as they stood at the base of the felled tree. She really wasn't keen on heights since the plane jump. "Just tell me what to do with the doodads," he continued sceptically. "You know, it's only about fifteen feet," he said optimistically.

"I'll be fine," she said, trying to sound confident. "I'm just a bit more wary about the height thing since falling to certain death."

"You're afraid," he said easily. "Shaken up? It's normal. But," he said calmly as he helped her climb up onto the bottom of the tree. "Some feelings will take over if you dwell on them. Especially fear. Now, keep your eyes ahead, focus on what you like to do best."

"Not falling," she said a little shakily as she watched her feet.

"No, research," he said supportively while holding her hand. "You're a scientist; you like to figure things out."

"Yes," she said a little more calmly. "With my doodads," she added with a wry look at him.

"I'm curious," he started, intentionally trying to distract her mind. "Whatever was up in these trees had to be there for centuries right?"

"At least a millennium. Radio carbon-14 dates some of these trees at least nine thousand years old," she said easily.

"That sounds impossible. Do you think the tree grew around it?" he continued with an overly curious expression.

"I'd have to check the dendrochronology first to know for certain," she started saying as she climbed up the tree without thinking, getting lost in answering his question. He followed along closely next to her. "But I mean the Norway spruce is a rather fast growing coniferous and I know you're trying to trick me into going up but I'm going up anyway, so," she continued her voice getting a little high pitched.

"Hey," he said causing her to pause and look at him. "I'll catch you if you fall, I promise."

"I know. That's why I'm brave enough to come up here," she returned. "Because while you're with me I know I'll be safe."

* * *

Even as he was going off on Skye and FitzSimmons, Ward knew he didn't mean what he was saying. But the rage and anger and hate were so potent he couldn't stop himself. The memory of his little brother in that well and not doing anything to save him was overpowering his ability to be rational. He watched as he hurt Fitz and Simmons, his surrogate little brother and sister and could do nothing to stop it. He knew it was a low blow implying that Fitz would be unable to save Simmons if something happened but he couldn't stop it from coming out of his mouth.

And Skye. Just the day before he had told her that she could talk to him about anything; that he was always there; that he liked listening to her babble. And now he was yelling at her that she talked too much. He didn't mean it but he couldn't stop it. Too much of his willpower was being used on trying to shut down the unlocked memory and he didn't have enough left to stop the horrible things he was saying.

He grabbed his shirt and stormed out of the lab before he could say anything else hurtful; although he knew he had already done plenty of damage. He had already hurt the people he cared about; the people he had promised to protect. Maybe he really was a monster.

Ward attacked the punching bag furiously, just trying to shut down the memory playing over and over in his head. And then he almost hit May; would've hit her if her reflexes weren't as good as they are. He knew he had to go to Coulson. He was compromised by this and he knew he had to tell the older man. He couldn't hurt them any more.

* * *

"A moment sir?" Ward asked as he knocked on Coulson's door.

"Come on in," Coulson said easily. He knew something was going on with the younger man and was glad he had come to him.

"I'm concerned that my exposure to that weapon has compromised my ability to do my job" Ward said succinctly.

"Go on," Coulson encouraged.

"You're familiar with my history. Both with my family and after," Ward started. "So, for obvious reasons I don't think back to childhood. Ever. There are things I put away, a long time ago, on lock down. Because, to do this, I have to be focused, tactical. I can't be distracted, especially by things that happened a lifetime ago," he continued in a shaky voice.

"You're saying touching the staff unlocked certain memories," Coulson asked, concerned. He knew how much Ward had been through and watching the specialist struggling in front of him made him ache for the younger man's suffering.

"My worst memory," Ward said quietly. "The first time I felt.. hate. And it won't go away. I don't trust myself. The way I went off at Skye and FitzSimmons in the lab," he continued shaking his head. How could he have spoken to them like that?

"Grant," Coulson said softly. "You standing here, telling me this. The clear distress you feel over it. I trust you implicitly, but this makes me see that I'm right to do so." Ward nodded slightly. "Him on the other hand," Coulson continued as they both looked at Randolph on the monitor. "I can't get the good professor to talk. You've got some rage built up; want to maybe let some of it out?"

"What did you have in mind?" Ward asked seeing the wheels turning in Coulson's head.

"I'm pretty sure that he's Asgardian," Coulson replied making Ward raise his eyebrows. Coulson explained his reasons and Ward was inclined to agree with him. "So I need you to go in there and force his hand."

"How exactly do you want me to do that?"

"I want you to try and stab him," Coulson said calmly.


	22. Chapter 21

**Author's note**

Some lines are taken from episode 8 'The Well'

**Chapter 21**

"You need to start talking," Ward demanded as he entered the interrogation room.

"I've told Agent Coulson everything I know," Randolph insisted.

"You're lying!" Ward snapped. "Tell me what that thing did to me and how to fix it!"

"I swear I don't know," Randolph replied calmly.

"Okay then," Ward said easily, slipping a knife from his pocket. He swung the knife quickly to stab the professor, grabbing the back of his chair. Randolph didn't even flinch, simply grabbed the blade as it approached and bent it away from him.

"You were right," Ward said calmly as Coulson entered the room. "He's Asgardian."

"Good thing," Coulson replied. "Otherwise that would've been awfully embarrassing."

Randolph explained how he came to be on earth and how he had told his story to a pretty French girl in the 1500s, leading to its spread. Finally, he got to the staff.

"I hated that thing. Other guys loved all the power that comes with the rage. Nah, I didn't like it at all," he said. "And you don't either it seems," he directed at Ward.

"What did it do to me?" Ward asked, barely keeping his voice from breaking.

"It shines a light into your dark places. Doesn't matter if you're human, Asgardian, the effect is the same. Unpleasant, Randolph replied easily.

After threatening him with losing his anonymity - after all, Coulson knows Thor, even if Randolph doesn't - he finally revealed the location of the third piece of staff as a monastery in Ireland. The plane was quickly redirected there and they landed not too long later.

* * *

Ward had locked himself in his bunk for the duration of the flight, not wanting to be around the team for risk of snapping again, or worse. When Randolph told him it could take decades for the rage to wear off it took everything in him not to scream and punch something. As he got into the SUV he heard Skye questioning Coulson and it only made him feel worse.

"Are you sure Ward's okay to go out into the field? He's not exactly acting like himself," she asked quietly, unaware that the object of her question could hear her.

"But he knows it," Coulson replied. "He'll be fine."

"I'm with Coulson," May said a few moments later.

Ward was grateful for the support the two older agents were showing, even if he didn't necessarily think he deserved it. He was a little hurt by Skye's questioning, but he could also understand it. He had already snapped at her once that day after all.

In the SUV on the way to the monastery Skye was beside him and she reached across discreetly and squeezed his hand, pulling his attention away from the window he had been looking out. He was surprised that the look on her face seemed to be worry and concern rather than fear. Maybe her questioning he's ability to be in the field was more about worry for him than fear of him. She squeezed his hand again quickly before letting go as the car stopped.

Once inside they made their way upstairs to where Randolph had left the staff, but found quickly that they had been beaten by the man who thought himself a God that had taken the other two parts of the staff. He stabbed Randolph with a piece of the staff.

Ward reacted quickly, grabbing the piece of staff in Randolph's chest and launching himself at the other man, sending them both over the balcony to the floor below. He took quite a few hard hits, being distracted by the memory of his little brother in the well, before he finally managed to pull his focus together, centring his thoughts. His only thought then was that he had to protect the team, to keep them safe where he hadn't kept his brother safe. He was finally able to knock the other man out.

"Grant!" he heard Skye's voice behind him. "Drop the staff."

"Get away from me," he said brokenly, not wanting her to get hurt.

"Agent Ward!" May said coming in behind Skye.

"This isn't you," Skye said softly taking a step towards him. At that moment the doors opened and more of the fanatics under the staff's affects walked in.

"Get back," Ward hissed as he picked up the second piece of the staff.

He easily worked his way through the dozen or so fanatics, putting them all down while constantly reliving his little brother almost dying. He come back to himself to find he was kneeling on the ground of the church surrounded by unconscious and injured bodies. He dropped both pieces of staff on the ground and collapsed.

"Oh my god," Skye said as she run up to him. "Are you okay?" she asked as she wrapped one of his arms over her shoulder and helped support him.

The door opened and two more of the fanatics walked in. "Oh you've gotta be kidding me," Skye muttered.

Ward unwrapped his arm from her shoulder and pushed himself up wearily, reaching for the staff again, only to be stopped by May.

"This time, let me help you," she said.

"Okay, come on," Skye said to him, wrapping her arm around his waist and helping support him again.

They moved over near the wall and watched as May took all three pieces of staff and joined them, managing to beat down the two fanatics.

Coulson, FitzSimmons and Randolph came down the stairs a few minutes later and Ward moved without thinking, pulling Fitz and Simmons into a hug. The memory of failing his little brother was still fresh and he needed to hold his surrogate brother and sister for a moment, to remind himself that he didn't fail the people he loved anymore. Neither knew why he suddenly embraced them but they held him back, understanding that's what he needed in the moment.

He released them after a few moments and they all went about the tasks necessary for them to leave. In the SUV on the way to the hotel they were staying at that night, Ward found himself once again beside Skye. She didn't reach for his hand this time, but she did pull his head down to rest on her shoulder after seeing how tired he was, for which he was grateful. He closed his eyes and was woken up by her shaking his shoulder when they reached the hotel.

"Thanks," he whispered as they climbed out of the car.

He headed straight to his room and had a shower, hoping it would help to clear his head. As he stood under the steaming water he couldn't help thinking how nice it was to have a family. Neither Simmons nor Fitz had made a big deal out of his outburst in the lab earlier, simply holding him when he needed it and telling him quietly that he was safe and they wouldn't leave him and they forgave him. He could scarcely believe how he was lucky enough to have people like them in his life.

* * *

Ward sat at the bar nursing his drink a few hours later. He was again thinking back over the past few days. They'd encountered an Asgardian and a dangerous Asgardian object and had managed to eliminate the threat, but he was still thinking about the memory that had been unearthed. And the way he had behaved towards the team. Plus his body felt pretty banged up. It had definitely been a tough few days.

"Hey," Skye said softly as she walked up to the bar beside him. He looked at her, not knowing how to apologise for what had happened but knowing he needed to. "I could get used to turn down service and little mints on my pillow," she said with a smile.

"Overnights aren't standard," he returned with a smile, glad for the distraction.

"We deserve a nice night. You especially. How you feeling?" she asked with concern. Watching him struggle for the past few days and then seeing his state after the fight, she couldn't help her worry over him.

"Not great," he answered honestly, causing a slight look of surprise to pass over her face. "I'm sorry," he said earnestly. "For before. I'm.. I'm not that guy," he continued shaking his head.

"You're a guy who saves life, I can overlook a little hulk rage," she replied easily. "No harm, no foul."

"Does everything just roll off your back?" he asked curiously.

"No. If it helped I'd rage all the time, but it doesn't," she replied simply.

"What I saw," he started, knowing she was someone he could tell about this. "It was about my brother." He tried to keep talking but found he couldn't say any more than that.

"I figured," she said softly. She reached out and placed her hand on his forearm, rubbing softly. "I know you're not one to talk. But I'm here for you too. Always, like you said. My shoulder's free."

"I'm beat," he said after a pause. He wanted to talk to her but he just couldn't do it right now. "Another time maybe?" he offered when he saw the slightly dejected look on her face.

"Well you know where I live," she said with a little smile as he finished his drink.

"I do," he returned softly. He went to walk away but paused behind her. "And Skye? Thanks," he said before planting a kiss on her temple and quickly leaving the bar.

As he swiped his card in his room door he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. May was entering her room at the end of the hall and she made eye contact with him before walking into her room and leaving the door open. He knew what she was offering, but he couldn't take her up on it. The feelings he had for Skye were too real to risk hurting her over something meaningless, which is all it would be. So he opened his own door and entered his room. The thought struck him that this was exactly the kind of situation Garrett would want him to take advantage of but that made him even surer he was making the right decision in not doing it.

Unbeknownst to him Skye had entered the hall at the other end and saw what happened. She watched him enter his own room with a smile on her face, knowing that if she had seen him enter the older woman's room it would have hurt her in ways she was only just coming to terms with.


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Ward shot up in bed a few hours later, covered in sweat. He'd awoken from an all too real nightmare. It had started with his younger brother in the well and Maynard not letting him throw down the rope but it had quickly transformed into being Skye in the well and Garrett stopping him from saving her.

His heart was pounding as he jumped out of bed and quickly pulled on some sweat pants. He knew it was just a dream, but he had to check on her. He had to be sure. He grabbed his room card and walked into the hall, knocking swiftly on Skye's door across from his. He knew he was most likely waking her but he felt like he didn't have a choice. He needed to know she was okay.

"Ward," he heard her voice, raspy from sleep as the door in front of him was pulled open. "Are you okay?" she asked, taking in his dishevelled appearance. For a fleeting moment she thought maybe he had changed his mind and ended up going into May's room but one look into his eyes told her that whatever had him shaking and sweating was definitely not a good thing.

She pulled the door a bit wider and went to invite him in but before she had a chance he had wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight into him, murmuring softly and placing gentle kisses into her hair.

"You're okay, you're okay, you're okay," Ward said softly as he held Skye tightly against him. He pulled away slightly to look down at her and saw the confusion in her eyes.

"Why don't you come in," she offered quietly, sensing there was clearly something going on with him.

He nodded and entered her room, pushing the door closed behind him but keeping one of his hands on her at all times. She pulled him over to her bed where they settled side by side against the headboard, their hands linked together between them. She watched him quietly, knowing that he would explain what was going on when he was ready and that she shouldn't push him.

After a few minutes he started speaking, keeping a firm hold on her hand to anchor himself but facing straight ahead. "I had a nightmare," he said quietly. "It started off with the memory the berserker staff released. My older brother had pushed my younger brother into a well, and he wouldn't let me throw down a rope to save him. He was screaming out for me, begging me to save him, but Maynard wouldn't let me. But then the nightmare changed, and it was you in the bottom of the well and," he paused for a moment knowing what he was about to say would lead to telling her everything. He steeled himself and went on. "And it was Garrett that wouldn't let me save you."

"Garrett?" she asked quietly. The name was familiar but she couldn't quite place it.

"He was my SO," Ward replied.

"Why would your SO not let you save me?" Skye asked, confused.

He finally turned to look at her then. "Can I explain it to you? Will you listen while I tell you everything?" he asked softly.

She saw the pain in his eyes and nodded instantly. "You can tell me anything, Grant. My shoulder's always free."

He took a deep breath and then started speaking. "I lied to you. My older brother, he didn't beat up my younger brother, he was crueller than that. He made me do it. And I let him. I was afraid of him. My parents were worse," he stopped to take a few deep breaths while she looked at him with sympathy but, thankfully, no pity. "I am not a good man Skye."

"Yes, you are," she replied firmly, lifting his face to make him look her in the eye. "What happened then, you were a child. You did what you thought you had to so you could survive. That doesn't make you evil."

"There's more," he said quietly. He went on and told her about burning down his family home, Garrett getting him out of juvie, surviving in the woods alone. She kept a tight grip on his hand while she listened, offering support whenever he would start to get overwhelmed. Finally, he got to the bit that he thought would make her turn away for sure. "How much do you know about Hydra?" he asked looking straight into her eyes.

Skye thought about the question for a moment before she asked, "Like the Hydra that Captain America fought in the 40s?"

"Yes," Ward replied softly.

"Just what everyone knows I suppose, but weren't they defeated in World War II?" she asked, confused as to what this had to do with what he was telling her.

"That's what everyone believed but the truth is they rebuilt, within SHIELD, hiding in plain sight and waiting for the day when they would rise again."

"How do you know this?" she asked, although now she was starting to get an idea of where this was all going.

"Because Garrett is Hydra, and he recruited me before I even joined SHIELD, to be a sleeper agent for Hydra within their ranks," he said softly, looking down at their still joined hands. He was certain that she would turn away from him then. That she would kick him out or yell at him, but as always she surprised him.

"That's not who you are anymore though," she said after a few moments.

He looked up at her at that. "What makes you say that?" he asked.

"Because you wouldn't be sitting here telling me about it if you were," she explained simply. "And because I know you, Grant Ward, and you are a good man."

He looked at her in awe. He couldn't believe that she had so much faith in him, what had he done to deserve this.

"Tell me the rest Ward, because I know that's not all of it," she encouraged with a squeeze to his hand.

So he did, he told her everything that had happened with Garrett and why he was put on the team; but that he had started to grow attached to them, to care about them, which only increased his already present doubts over what Garrett and he were doing. Then he told her about going to Coulson and telling him the truth, in part because of her; explained about the meeting with Fury and Hill; the real reason they had seen Barton and Romanoff. He told her everything. "So it's just the seven of us that know," he finished. "Fury and Hill, Barton, Nat and the Captain, and Coulson and I. Well eight now that I've told you."

"May doesn't know?" she asked, surprised that she was being told before the older agent. "And will you be in trouble for telling me?" she added, concerned for him.

"Not yet she doesn't, although we are going to have to tell her soon," he replied with a grimace. They hadn't had time to think of a story for Garrett yet and he knew there wasn't a lot of time until he would call again. "And Coulson knows I was going to tell you soon. Fury left it up to us to decide who on the team got to know and when and I told him I wanted you to be the next to know."

"Why?" she asked softly. She would ask him about his reaction to May knowing, but his determination for her to know next interested him more.

"Because I want to tell you how I feel about you, but I couldn't do that without you knowing everything. I didn't want to start off with lies between us," he said honestly, looking into her eyes.

"And how do you feel about me?" she asked.

"I'm pretty sure I'm falling for you," he replied, hoping he wasn't ruining everything if she didn't feel the same way.

"I'm pretty sure I'm falling for you too," she said in response before leaning forward and kissing him softly.

**Author's note**

I just wanted to say thank you to Serenity Shadowstar who offered me the idea of Ward having a nightmare that leads him to telling Skye everything. I was trying to think of a way for Skye to be the next to find out when she made the suggestion of him having a nightmare that led to them talking and it fit well with the rest of what I had planned.


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Ward returned the gentle kiss, before pulling away and resting his forehead against Skye's.

"I want to try and have something real with you," he said tenderly. "But I've never had a real relationship before and I want to do it right, so I think we need to take this slow and get to know each other better. Because I think if we try and move too quickly, then we aren't giving ourselves the best chance we can. And I need you to understand what this all means. I'm now basically undercover for SHIELD with Hydra and when the time comes I might have to actually go back and pretend to still be Hydra. And to do that I might have to do some awful things," he explained to her, wanting her to understand exactly what being with him could mean.

"I want to try for something real too. And I agree. Taking it slow; getting to know each other; I think that is what's best for both of us. Because, and please don't give me your hate face for mentioning the name, but the only relationship I've ever had was with Miles and well, that wasn't really very good." She felt him tense up when she said Miles' name, like she knew he would, but she just rubbed his back gently and waited for him to relax again before continuing. "And I think I understand, as best I can anyway. But nothing is going to keep me from your side. I will be here for you and support you for anything you need to get through this. You're not getting rid of me, no matter what," she finished with a smile.

"I wouldn't want to get rid of you," he said quietly. "I was so afraid that you would hate me and want nothing to do with me."

"Sorry to disappoint," she retorted quietly. "But I'm just not that easy to get away from. And I don't think I could ever hate you. I'm just glad you told me, I think if I had found out some other way that it would hurt. And if we had started something and then I found out I definitely would've been angry."

"That's why I knew I had to tell you. And that I had to tell you before too many people knew. I don't want to keep secrets from you."

"And I don't want to keep secrets from you either," she said with a smile. "Now tell me what that look was about when you mentioned telling May soon."

He sighed before answering. "Garrett sees her as my biggest threat, and if I was still on his side she would be. So he wants me to do something to keep her off guard, to distract her. Next time he gets in contact with me, which will probably be in the next few days, he will want me to have a plan in place to accomplish that. When I told Coulson we agreed the easiest thing to do would be to bring May in on all this, but we still need to have a fake plan for me to tell Garrett. And with everything that's gone on the past few days we haven't had a chance to come up with anything."

She thought about that for a few minutes before remembering what she had seen before retiring earlier that night- May's obvious invitation for Ward to join her in her room- and a solution came to her. "Tell him you're sleeping with her," she said suddenly, causing Ward to jerk back and stare at her.

"What?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think it could work. Just hear me out. I came upstairs only a few minutes after you tonight," she started and saw his eyes widen. He opened his mouth to explain, hoping she didn't think that he had been with the other woman. "Shh, I know nothing happened. I saw her leave her door open and I saw you go into your own room instead. But you can use that to your advantage. You tell her the truth and bring her in on all this and then the two of you pretend that you're sleeping together. We'll work it out so little comments can be made, the two of you disappear at the same time, things like that and you tell him that you're sleeping with her. It would be enough to throw her off if it was true."

He thought about it for a bit and could see the merits in the idea. It was like he thought when he went into his own room – this was exactly the kind of thing Garrett would want.

"You're right," he said. "It's a good plan. But will you be okay with it. Nothing will really happen, obviously, but I need to know that you're one hundred percent on board, because I won't do it if it's going to hurt you. We will just have to think of something else."

"I meant what I said. I'm one hundred percent here for you, whatever it takes," she reassured him.

"And this has the added advantage of keeping him away from you," Ward said without meaning to.

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused by what he meant by that.

"Garrett thinks attachments and feelings are weaknesses. That caring about people is a weakness. If he knew how I felt about you, I'm just worried he could do something to you, and I couldn't live with that," he replied, knowing he had to continue being honest with her even if it was hard to tell her this.

"Well that's a bonus then," Skye said easily. "Because from what you've said I don't think it would end well for me if he saw me as a distraction from what he wants you to do."

"No, it probably wouldn't," Ward agreed. Just the thought of Garrett knowing how he felt about Skye sent a shiver down his spine. He didn't even want to think about what Garrett might do to the bright and beautiful girl beside him. "Luckily he doesn't have any idea about what even might be between us. I guess a part of me has been protecting you from him from the very beginning, even before I came clean to Coulson. I downplayed everything between us, told him I only become your SO to keep an eye on you since you were an unknown factor."

"Why did you become my SO? Or is there some truth to what you told him?" Skye asked curiously.

"I suppose there's a little truth in it," he conceded. "But mostly I just wanted to protect you; to teach you to be able to protect yourself. I was drawn to you from the beginning and I guess that's just a part of it too."

"Well, whatever the reason, I'm just glad that it made you decide to keep the truth of our connection from Garrett," she responded.

"Me too."

"What about FitzSimmons?" she asked suddenly. "Are you going to tell them about Hydra?"

"We haven't talked much about it," he replied quietly. He had been thinking about this for a few days too. He didn't want to keep lying to either of them, and he thought they deserved to know since they were a part of the team too. Besides, there might come a time when they would need the help of the two geniuses. It was something he would have to discuss with Coulson. "We won't be telling them yet. I don't know that they would have the ability to act naturally if faced with someone they knew was Hydra. And if Hydra was to find out that anyone knew, they would have us all killed. But I do want them to know. I don't want to keep lying to them, and I think they deserve the truth. I need to discuss it with Coulson. And we will need to find a time to talk to him tomorrow, let him know that you know, and discuss the plan for May. But right now, we need to get some sleep," he said before moving to stand up and return to his own room.

"Stay," she whispered, not letting go of his hand. "I don't want to be alone anymore tonight and I don't think you do either."

"I'll stay," he returned quietly, lying down beside her. Instantly she curled into his side, resting her head above his heart. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "Goodnight Skye," he said softly.

"Goodnight Grant," she replied in the same tone.

It had been a long time since Ward had shared a bed with someone. He hadn't been lying when he had said he had no trouble with women, but he tended to stick with one night stands and he never stayed the night. That kind of intimacy was something he had never felt comfortable with before, but something about Skye made it feel normal and natural, even enjoyable. He couldn't help but marvel looking down at the amazing girl in his arms, as her breathing evened out as she fell asleep. He found himself drifting off a few moments later, feeling happier than he could ever remember feeling in his life.


	25. Chapter 24

**Author's note**

Some lines are taken from episode 9 'Repairs'

**Chapter 24**

Skye woke up disoriented. She kept her eyes closed and feigned sleep while she tried to figure out what was going on. She could feel someone's arms around her, their fingers tracing patterns on her lower back and her head on their chest. It took her a moment to remember the night before, or more accurately the early hours of the morning, when Ward knocked on her door and the conversation that followed.

"Good morning," she heard him say quietly above her.

"Good morning," she replied at the same volume. "How did you know I was awake?" she asked, turning her face so she could see his.

"You're breathing changed," he replied with a small smile.

"Were you watching me sleep?" she asked him, narrowing her eyes.

"A little," he replied. "I only woke a few minutes before you though and I was thinking about waking you when you woke up."

"Well okay then. Because just laying there watching me sleep would have been a little creepy," she responded, satisfied with his answer. "Do we have to get up?"

"Soon," he said. "We have a few minutes before I have to go back to my room and get ready to go."

"Good," she said, snuggling back into his chest as he tightened his arms around her. They were quiet for a few minutes before she started speaking again. "Is it going to be different now? With us I mean?"

He didn't pretend to not know what she meant but he did take a few moments to really think about his answer. "Yes and no," he finally responded. "Things will definitely change; I don't see how they could not. And I believe Coulson will be okay with it so we won't have to hide it on the bus or anything. But we will have to be careful outside of the bus, especially if we are going to go with your plan regarding May. And like I said last night, I want to take it slowly, really get to know each other properly. But that doesn't mean I'm pushing you away, or that I don't want to be with you. I just want to do this the right way."

"That makes sense," she replied. She had been worried that this morning he would change his mind and think they should stay away from each other, but it sounded like he still wanted to be with her. Their need to be careful was easy to understand – if Garrett suspected that what he said about May was a lie then it could cost them all their lives. "So we're going to talk to AC today?"

"Yeah as soon as we get a chance. He will want to know that you know, and we can talk to him about telling May and your plan. Then we will probably have to sit down with her too. And I want to be upfront with him about us because he's been really good to me about this whole thing and supportive and he's the one that encouraged me to tell you and-"

"Hey, hey, hey," Skye interrupted him as he was starting to get worked up. "I agree. We should definitely tell AC about us. I don't want to start lying to him again. We'll work it all out once we get back to the bus."

"We will," he agreed easily. "But now we need to get up and get ready to go." As he finished speaking her phone chirped on the nightstand.

"New mission," she said looking at the display. "AC wants us back ASAP."

"Then I better head back to my room to grab my gear and wash up. I'll see you back on the bus," Ward replied, leaning in to give her a quick kiss.

She returned the kiss with a smile on her face. "I'll let AC know we want to talk to him when I get back there."

He returned her smile before leaving the bed and walking over to the door, only just realising that he was in only a pair of sweatpants, no shirt and no shoes. Hopefully he could get across the hall into his own room without running into anyone. He looked up as Skye's door clicked closed behind him and realised his hopes had not been realised. May was just walking down the hall from her own room and she was looking straight at him.

He nodded in acknowledgement as he went to open the door to his room.

"You're making a mistake."

Her voice was quiet, but he could hear steel in it. He turned back to face her and her usual mask had slipped slightly showing the anger in her eyes.

"What mistake is that?" he asked quietly. He assumed she was talking about him leaving Skye's room half dressed, but wanted her to explain what she meant.

"With her," she replied coldly. Before he could say anything, she went on. "Even if you could trust her, which you shouldn't, she will never understand you, who you really are. Not really. She's not like us."

"Really?" Ward asked with a raised eyebrow. If he didn't know better he would think that May was jealous, but that didn't sound like her. Then again, he had blatantly turned down her offer the night before and now it looked as though he had gone to Skye instead, even if that isn't what actually went down.

"She doesn't know what it's like to do what we do. And she's already betrayed us once, she'll do it again. She won't be able to handle you," May said in the same cold, superior tone.

Ward had to grit his teeth to stop from snapping at her. The woman might be something of a legend but she didn't know what she was talking about. "Thank you for your concern Agent May," he finally said in a cold, dismissive tone. "But I disagree. And if I wanted your opinion I would have asked for it."

He entered his room and closed the door sharply before she could make any response. He didn't understand where this had come from. What he did and who he did it with was none of May's business. And Skye understood him better than anyone, not to mention she had been handling him just fine basically since they met.

He continued to think about the exchange that had taken place in the hallway as he quickly washed up and grabbed his things. The only thing he could come up with was that she was jealous. But if that was the case, she had no real right to the jealousy – there had never been anything more than professionalism between them and he and Skye had always had something more. He supposed it may have stemmed from his rejection of her the night before but he had the right to choose who he spent his time with. He shook his head to clear it as he left the room, hoping this wouldn't make things even more complicated when they brought her in on the Hydra secret.

* * *

"It's a delicate situation so you're bringing along warm _and_ fuzzy?" Ward heard Skye ask sarcastically as he walked up to the plane. Somehow he just knew he was one of the people she was referring to there, which he didn't think was entirely fair.

"Hey guys," he said, as Coulson turned away from the Skye and started up the stairs, her following behind him.

"You're late," May hissed at him with a glare from the upper level. Excellent, his brush off this morning had clearly worked wonders on that relationship.

Coulson raised an eyebrow at May when he reached the balcony, before he turned to Ward. "I need to go over the mission brief with you once we're in the air Agent Ward," he said pointedly, flicking his eyes briefly in Skye's direction.

"Yes sir, I'll come to your office in a little while," Ward replied easily, understanding that Skye had told him they wanted to talk.

Coulson gave him a nod and then headed inside, May following after him with one more glare at Ward. Skye waited at the top of the stairs for Ward to catch up.

"Hey SO," she said with a grin.

"Hey rookie," he replied easily, bumping her shoulder with his as they headed to the lounge. "So," he started as they finished strapping in for take off. "Am I warm or fuzzy?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You heard that, huh?" she asked with a sheepish expression.

"Mhmm," he answered.

"Well you have to admit you're not really much of a people person," she said hurriedly. She hadn't meant for him to hear that, and she definitely didn't mean to offend him, which she felt like she had. She knew he could be warm and kind and caring, but he generally didn't let that side show when he first met people. And now she was worried he was going to be upset with her.

"I think I'm getting better. With FitzSimmons and you, even Coulson. But I know what you meant. I can come off a bit standoffish at first," he said. He had been going to act offended for a bit but seeing how worried she seemed to be over upsetting him he decided to let it go. "But I am trying, and I will try today with this girl." He only knew the basics of the mission since he hadn't been given a full briefing yet, but he knew that there was a suspected telekinetic that they were going to pick up.

"You are definitely getting better. I didn't mean to offend you, and I didn't really even mean it about you. You are warm, when you care about someone," Skye said with a smile. "Now, want to play a quick game of Battleship before we have to go talk to AC?"

"Sure," he agreed easily. "What did he say when you said we wanted to talk to him?"

"He agreed pretty easily. Then he just looked really happy," Skye said thoughtfully.

"Happy?" Ward asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. It was a little weird," Skye answered with a shrug.

"I guess we'll find out soon," Ward said while setting up his game board.

"Yup," Skye agreed.

As they started playing, Ward kept thinking about what could possibly have made Coulson happy about a meeting to discuss Hydra. The only thing he could think of was the team leader was happy that he had opened up to Skye, since he had been pushing him in that direction. He guessed he would see soon.


	26. Chapter 25

**Author's note**

Some lines are taken from episode 9 'Repairs'

**Chapter 25**

Forty-five minutes later found Ward and Skye sitting across from Coulson at his desk.

"Skye has an idea for what to tell Garrett about May," Ward said after they had explained what had happened the night before, including the nightmare that sent him to Skye's door.

"Hmm?" Coulson raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I think he should pretend he's sleeping with her," Skye blurted.

Coulson had been pleased when Skye came to him that morning and said the two of them needed to talk to him. He had assumed it was about Hydra and he was glad that Ward had decided to let Skye in - even if it was as the result of a nightmare – as she would be good for the specialist, so this idea surprised him. They had told him that they were going to try something together, get to know each other better and explore what was between them, but that they were taking it slowly, not wanting to rush in and ruin it before it had a chance. And from just what he had seen in the past few minutes he could see that the closeness between them had already developed more. He hoped that this pretence wouldn't do anything to hurt that growing bond between the two.

"Explain," Coulson said, needing to understand where this was coming from.

Skye looked to Ward to offer explanations as she didn't know how much she should say.

Ward decided telling Coulson everything was the way to go so he explained the open door and clear offer from Agent May in the hotel the night before. "Even as I walked into my room last night I thought that it was the exact kind of situation Garrett would expect me to take advantage of, and then Skye suggested pretending a sexual relationship between us. He would definitely buy it and if it was for real it's something that would probably work."

"You're right," Coulson agreed. "It's a good idea Skye. Will you both be okay with the pretence? You will know that it's all for show, but it will have to seem real and I just want to make sure it's not going to affect anything between you."

"It won't," Skye replied confidently. "I've thought about it AC, and I trust Ward. And this is the best solution, we all know it."

"There is one other thing," Ward said hesitantly. He wasn't sure if he should mention the exchange with May in the hall that morning, but he knew that he needed to mention it now, so Coulson knew all the facts. "I bumped into May in the hall this morning when I left Skye's room." They had already told Coulson that after they talked they had both fallen asleep in Skye's room, leaving out the bit where it was intentional. "Given the state I was in when I went to her room earlier, I wasn't exactly completely dressed. I was minus shirt and shoes, and May seemed read more into it than what actually happened," he continued feeling awkward about this. He didn't want to say the next bit in front of Skye but knew he didn't have much choice. "She said I was making a mistake, that I shouldn't trust Skye because she would betray us again and that she could never understand me because she 'wasn't like us'."

"What?" Skye asked in a hurt voice. "I wouldn't betray you again! I promise. You have to-"

"I know," Ward interrupted, grabbing one of her hands and squeezing it. "And I told her as much. That I disagreed with what she was saying and that if I wanted her opinion I would ask for it." He flicked his eyes over to Coulson, finding him watching them with an indulgent look on his face. "I'm not really sure why she said it or what it was supposed to accomplish, but I thought you should know everything sir."

"I'd say she sounds jealous, but I'm not sure that May's capable of feeling such a human emotion," Skye muttered, causing Ward to have to try extra hard to suppress a smile.

"I don't think it's that she's jealous as much as nobody likes to be rejected. Not even May," Coulson said, doing his best to suppress his own amusement at Skye's words.

"That makes sense I suppose. May just doesn't seem like the type to get upset over something like that," Ward said. "I just thought you should know before we talk to her about everything."

"Yeah telling me was the right way to go about it. Once we've sorted out what's going on in Utah we will sit down with May and tell her about everything going on," Coulson said, receiving an agreeing nod from Ward. "I think it would be best if just Ward and I spoke to her to explain everything, Skye," he continued, looking at the hacker.

"That's cool AC. I'd prefer not to have to be there when you tell her. I have a feeling she won't have anything nice to say about me knowing," she replied with a frown.

Neither of the men really knew what to say to that, since she was probably right. Eventually Coulson spoke, changing the subject. "So the mission…" and he filled Ward in on what they knew.

* * *

"I just don't understand her at all," Skye said about May from her spot on the bench beside Ward. "Everything to her is just 'target acquired; threat eliminated'."

"Well," Ward said as he moved over to the other counter. "She's a specialist, it's how she's trained."

"In one thing! You can catch a lot more flies with honey than with napalm," she said leaning her head back. "Just saying."

"Hand me the lettuce," he said as he put his sandwich together.

"She says I need to stay away," Skye continued as she hopped down and passed him the bowl. "But you know what I think? I think she really does need to get laid. Maybe if you hadn't turned her down she wouldn't be so uptight."

Ward paused in what he was doing and turned to look at her. "Maybe you should try being a little less confrontational with her?" he suggested, knowing he couldn't respond to that last sentence without getting himself in trouble.

"Nice deflection there Agent Ward," she said with a smile as he turned back to his sandwich. "But I'm not scared of her. Well," she said, reconsidering, "I am, but just because the Cavalry shot a hundred guys on horseback doesn't mean she knows how people work."

"Wait," he said turning around to face her again. "Horseback?" he questioned. "Where'd you hear that?"

"FitzSimmons," she replied.

"Were they messing with you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. The look on his face made her realise that they probably were. "The story gets bigger every year. It wasn't a hundred guys, it was twenty," he continued. Realising that FitzSimmons were probably messing with her for a reason he decided to embellish the story a bit too. "Trained assassins. May crossed 'em off with one pistol, no support."

"She rescued a bunch of agents?" Skye asked.

Ward nodded. "And there definitely wasn't a horse," he said while turning back to his sandwich.

"Well if it went so well why's she acting like this?" Skye asked.

"That, I don't know. But don't let it get to you," Ward said comfortingly.

"Hmm. You don't think it's because of what she thinks she saw this morning do you?" she asked hesitantly.

"May's a professional. I don't think she would let that interfere with a case. And I really don't see her being jealous like that anyway," Ward replied.

"Okay," she said easily.

"Now what'd I do with that knife?" Ward said to himself as he went to cut his sandwich.

"I dunno," Skye said looking over his shoulder. "But that sandwich looks pretty good. Don't suppose you'd be interested in sharing?" she asked with a big grin.

He grabbed another knife out of a drawer and cut the sandwich in half, offering Skye half with a shake of his head.

* * *

"Ward!" Skye exclaimed when the lights went out and the plane tilted. "What's going on?"

"Feels like we're going down. I better go see if May needs help in the cockpit," he answered quickly. "Strap in just in case," he said to her as he turned to head for the cockpit.

"I can't stay here by myself," she said slightly hysterically.

When he saw the genuine fear on her face he grabbed her hand and dragged her with him. May was just entering the cockpit when they reached the door.

"Ward, you certified?" May asked briskly as she climbed into the pilot seat.

The two of them managed to land the plane with minimal damage, although it was difficult. Ward had checked on Skye as she strapped in to make sure she was okay and was glad she seemed calmer than she had in the lounge, even managing a small smile at him.

As soon as the plane stopped moving in what was definitely a rough landing, Ward unbuckled and turned to Skye. "You okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," she replied at the same volume. "I'm glad we don't have landings like that very often."

He gave her a smile and noticed her hands were shaking too much to unbuckle her belt so he reached out and did it for her, kissing her temple at the same time.

"We need to get to the others," May said coldly as she walked past them and out of the cockpit.

"Come on," Ward said gently. "We should make sure everyone else is okay." He grabbed her hand again and they left the cockpit and headed to the control room.

* * *

"Wait, childish," Skye said to herself as Fitz and Simmons argued. "This guy is childish," she said louder, getting everyone's attention.

"What're you getting at?" Coulson asked.

"He wanted her to notice him. Why would he file a complaint to her office when there was nothing wrong and then cause an actual safety issue himself?" Skye tried to explain where her mind was going.

"To get her fired?" Simmons suggested, not sure what Skye was getting at.

"To get her attention!" Skye answered.

"He's pulling her pigtails on the playground," Ward mumbled, seeing where Skye was going with this. He looked over to see everyone giving him strange looks. "What? I remember what little boys did to get little girls' attention! Don't look at me like that!"

Skye smiled at his awkwardness before responding. "Robot's right. He's trying to get her to notice him. Think about it. He scared the guy at the gas station that was harassing her; he nearly hit you guys with a cop car."

"He's not trying to hurt her," Ward interjected. "He's-"

"Trying to protect her," Coulson interrupted, finally seeing what they were trying to explain.

"He likes her," Skye said quietly.

"We need to get there and stop him hurting anyone else, or May hurting him," Coulson said. "Guys, release the golden retrievers," he directed FitzSimmons.


	27. Chapter 26

**Author's note**

Some lines taken from episode 9 'Repairs'

**Chapter 26**

"That isn't a word in our language," Ward said sceptically as Simmons laid out the last of her tiles.

May had figured out the same thing they did about the ghost and was convincing him to let go when they had shown up earlier. So, after dropping Hannah home they were headed to a nearby SHIELD base to have some minor repairs done due to damage caused by their unexpected, rough landing and Skye and Simmons had roped Ward and Coulson into playing a board game with them.

"Our language?" she demanded in reply. "You mean the English language? First spoken in England?"

"Hang on, I'm checking," Skye said looking it up on her tablet. "Aglet: plastic or metal tube covering the end of a shoe lace."

"Oh what? That's cheating," Ward insisted. "You're using your Britishness against us!"

"Oh shush," Simmons replied. "You're just jealous that I beat you!"

Ward went to reply but was stopped by Fitz walking in with shaving cream on his face. Fitz had just finished accusing each of them of being responsible when May walked in.

"We're at cruising altitude and the plane's on auto-pilot," she said as she sat beside Coulson on the couch.

"Excellent," Coulson replied. "I actually need to discuss some clearance level seven issues with you and Ward so do you both want to do that now?"

Ward nodded easily, knowing what the coming conversation was about while May looked between the two men for a few moments before agreeing as well. She didn't miss the way Ward looked over at Skye after agreeing and the two seemed to have a silent conversation.

Coulson noticed May watching Ward and Skye and swiftly stood up and headed for the stairs to his office. Ward followed after him quickly, squeezing Skye's shoulder as he passed her and May followed along behind him.

"What do you think that's about?" the three senior agents heard Simmons ask quietly.

"Dunno." Fitz said at the same time Skye answered, "Not sure."

"We will have to bug Ward about it later," Skye continued. She did know what it was most likely about but she also knew that she had to keep up the pretence of not knowing, and bugging her SO about it is what she would have done if she hadn't known.

"Maybe you could try and flirt it out of him," was the last thing Ward heard, from Simmons and followed by laughter, as the door to Coulson's office closed.

"So I'm guessing you're finally going to tell me what's going on," May said coolly as she took a seat across from Coulson at his desk.

Ward took the seat beside her, moving it away slightly as the two chairs were still close from he and Skye sitting in them earlier.

"Yes," Coulson answered calmly. He knew she was angry at being kept out of the loop, but he still stuck by that decision. She hadn't needed to know before now, but now that she did he had no problem in telling her.

"So what is it?" she asked Coulson, completely ignoring Ward's presence.

"What I'm about to tell you is currently a closely guarded secret. There are only eight people that are on our side that currently know about it. You will be the ninth," Coulson started.

"Eight?" she asked. "Fury, Hill, Barton, Romanoff and the two of you. Who are the other two?"

"Captain Rogers and Skye," Coulson answered. He knew that telling her Skye knew before her was not going to make her any happier, but he was resolved to be honest. She went to speak but he put his hand up to stop her. "I'm sure you are going to have something to say about a lot of what I tell you but I'm going to ask that you hold off on commenting until I've laid it all out for you and then you can say what ever you feel the need to say. Agreed?"

May looked at him angrily for a few beats before nodding her head. She could understand everyone else that knew before her, but there was nothing that could explain why the hacker should have been told first. She couldn't understand why they were trusting the girl so easily when she had so recently betrayed them so she had to assume it was Ward's doing and he was letting his feelings for her cloud his judgement. But she respected Coulson enough to let him say his piece before she shared her thoughts.

"Shortly after the incident in Hong Kong, Ward came to me and told me that Hydra still exists and is embedded deeply within SHIELD. We then shared this information with Fury and Hill, who in turn shared it with Barton, Romanoff and the Captain. Although Ward knows quite a few high ranking agents and influential people that are a part of Hydra, we don't have an exhaustive list and so at this point in time he is technically undercover for SHIELD with Hydra. His contact is his former SO, John Garrett, who recruited him into Hydra originally. As far as Garrett knows, Ward is still loyal to him and we are aiming to keep it that way as long as possible.

"To that end it has been decided that Ward will funnel some 'helpful information' through to Garrett, in particular about this team, that makes Garrett think he has an edge. And he will keep us updated on anything Garrett tells him about Hydra and what they are doing. When and if the time comes he will probably end up going into Hydra undercover. In the mean time, we are all gathering as much intel as we can so when the time comes we are ready."

It was quiet for a few minutes when Coulson finished talking, while May processed all he had said. She had always prided herself on being good at reading people and she never would have guessed this of Ward. Finally she turned to look at him.

"How long have you known about this?" she asked.

"Since before I joined SHIELD," he answered immediately.

"Why did it take you so long to come forward?"

"I felt like I owed Garrett everything. I was young when he found me and he was all I knew," he said simply. He could have gone into detail about everything that led up to him joining Hydra but he didn't feel like May _needed_ to know and it wasn't something he _wanted_ to share with her.

"How do we know this isn't just a ploy?" May asked, this time addressing Coulson.

"Because it would be a stupid one," Coulson responded right away. "We had no idea that Hydra still existed so revealing it like this, at this time, would do nothing to help them in anyway," he continued. "It takes away any element of surprise that could help them in their goals." It was something he had considered of course, but having heard everything from Ward he never thought it was true. However, he understood Ward not sharing his whole history with May. That was deeply personal and obviously not something he wanted spread around.

May nodded, agreeing with his reasoning. She suspected there was more to Ward's story but she could tell that it was not something that was going to be shared with her.

"Shouldn't this be a national security issue?" she continued questioning.

"Fury wants to keep it in house until we have more information," Coulson replied. "We don't know who we can trust since we don't know exactly how high this goes, just that it goes high. So at the moment only people we know can be trust can know about it."

"And if Hydra finds out that anyone knows, they won't hesitate to take those people out," Ward interjected.

"If you're only telling people that you can trust then why does Skye know?" May questioned. She saw the both of them tense up and went on before they could say anything. "I'm only asking because she has proven, not all that long ago, that she would easily betray us. And I find it hard to believe that Fury agreed to telling her," she continued coolly.

"He left it to our discretion who on our team knows," Coulson said. "And we decided that she could be trusted. We one hundred percent believe that she will not betray us again."

"We? Or Ward?" May asked.

"It was a decision we reached together," Coulson said firmly. It may have been Ward's initial idea to tell her, but he fully supported it and stood by it.

"I don't think she should know. She's still a risk and a threat," May said coldly. She turned to Ward. "You're letting feelings cloud your judgement and sharing information that is meant to be classified just because you want to get into her pants. And it will cost you. She will betray you, either on purpose, because we don't know if she can be trusted, or even accidentally because she has no idea how to act like an agent or when to shut up. She will-"

"That's enough, Agent May!" Coulson interrupted. She had a right to her opinion, and to ask questions, but he wasn't going to let her continue to attack Skye. Not the least of which was because it looked like Ward was only a few more bad words from starting a physical fight with her. "We believe that she can handle this information and that she will be an asset. That is a decision you are going to have to accept because it is done and we are not changing our minds on it."

May sat quietly for a few moments. It wasn't often that Coulson got authoritative like that but when he did she knew there was nothing she could say that would change his mind. She still believed that Skye knowing was far too much of a risk, but clearly they didn't want to hear her opinion on the matter.

"Fine," she said. "So what made you decide that I was now allowed to know the big secret?"

"Garrett has given Ward instructions to do what is necessary to distract you so that you wouldn't notice something was wrong. He sees you as the biggest threat and so he wants Ward to try and get rid of the threat," Coulson explained. "Ward has to report back to Garrett with what his 'plan' is to achieve this goal."

"I'm assuming you already have a plan in mind to tell him?" May asked, getting her mind into this like a mission.

"We do," Coulson said hesitantly. He really didn't want to have to share this bit but he knew it was the best plan. "We think he should pretend that the two of you have begun a sexual relationship," he said quickly.


	28. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Ward watched May stared slightly open-mouthed at Coulson. He was staying as quiet as possible, preferring to let the older agent deal with this.

"I'm sorry, I must have misheard you," May finally said softly. "Can you repeat that?"

Coulson flicked his gaze to Ward and then back to May. He really didn't want to say it again, and he knew she didn't mishear him, but he had no choice. "We believe that Ward should tell Garrett that you and he have started a sexual relationship."

"Why the hell would that be your plan?" May demanded, unable to keep her voice down. "And what makes you think it's even believable that I would become involved with Ward in that way?"

That was a question neither man wanted to answer - they knew she would be pissed that Ward had told Coulson about her offer in Ireland. They looked at each other, both trying to convey that the other should answer the question. Finally Ward decided to just be honest.

"In the hotel in Ireland, I had the thought when I entered my own room instead of yours that it was the exact type of situation that Garrett would want me to take advantage of," Ward explained calmly.

"And you needed to tell Phil about that?" she demanded angrily. How could he have told Phil that she had basically offered him sex, especially when he turned her down anyway?

"I told him to explain what prompted this plan," Ward answered. It was the truth; he just left out the bit where it was Skye's plan. "Besides, when I told Coulson about Hydra, I made a promise to myself that I would be completely honest with him from then on. The only way we can do this is if we are being honest."

"Did you tell him about spending the night with Skye during all your honesty?" she asked, thinking there was no way that he would have told the leader about spending the night with his rookie.

"Yes," Ward answered simply. He felt no need to explain the situation to her further than that, knowing that she had already made up her mind about what happened and that he would likely be unable to change it anyway.

This simple response made May pause. She couldn't believe that Ward had told Coulson he spent the night with Skye, and that Coulson was so calm about it. She would have thought that if Ward had told the him, which she didn't think he would, that Coulson would be angry about it since he seemed to have a soft spot for the hacker.

"And you're fine with that?" she asked Coulson.

"Yes," Coulson replied. He understood why Ward wasn't defending himself or explaining what actually happened, knowing that once May made up her mind about something there was no changing it. Besides, it wasn't really her business. "I am aware of everything that happened that night and the following morning," he continued, giving his support to Ward.

This again drew May up short. Coulson seemed to be perfectly okay with, even supportive of, whatever was happening between the specialist and his rookie. She decided to take a moment to look at this objectively. She knew she was feeling somewhat rejected after Ireland, a feeling fuelled by what she had seen the following morning, but more than that she truly believed that they were trusting Skye far too easily. That aside though, it was a good plan to tell Garrett – if it was for real it would probably be enough to distract her and obviously she would have started something with him so it was also plausible.

"It's a good plan," May finally conceded. "Are you just going to tell him and leave it at that or.." she trailed off.

"We figure there should be some subtle outward signs as well," Ward answered. "The both of us disappearing at the same time when really we are just going over mission briefs or something; assorted small comments that if overheard could be easily misconstrued; at some point I think one of us should also tell you sir, to make it seem more believable," Ward continued turning to Coulson with his last suggestion.

"That's a good idea," Coulson agreed easily.

"I think I should be the one to tell you," May said, agreeing with the suggestions that Ward made. "Because if Ward was doing it simply to protect his cover he would probably not want you to know."

"Agreed," Ward said at the same time Coulson said, "That makes sense."

The three agents were quiet for a few minutes before May spoke up again.

"Are FitzSimmons going to be told?" she asked. She didn't think they should be, but for different reasons to why she thought Skye shouldn't know. FitzSimmons could be trusted; it was whether they were capable of keeping the secret, especially if confronted that worried her. So she wanted to know where they stood on the issue.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about that sir," Ward said looking at Coulson, who inclined his head for Ward to go on. "I don't know that we should tell them yet, since I don't know how well they could act if in a situation confronted by someone they knew was Hydra – we're all aware of how well it went when Simmons was doing something she shouldn't be and confronted – but I think we should consider telling them soon. Because I think they could be helpful. There's no one smarter than the two of them and I think they could give us an edge with some of the technologies and things they are capable of. Besides, we are a team and I feel like we will be strongest if we are all working together."

Coulson considered what he said for a few moments before answering. "I think you could be right. They are capable of amazing things and I'm sure our enemies are going to have technology we aren't aware of so having some they aren't aware of would be good for us. And we will be stronger as a team. But we need to work on their ability to keep a cover first or who knows what Simmons will do when confronted."

May had to admit that that wasn't a bad point. The things the two scientists were capable of blew her away and even she could admit that they could likely create things that would give a definite edge when the time came.

"It's something we can work on," she said.

The three sat quietly again before May again broke the silence. "So when are you going to tell him about-" she cut herself off, waving a hand between herself and Ward.

"I expect he will call in the next day or so, or else I will call him," Ward replied.

"And when will we start the rest of it for the cover?"

"The sooner the better really, since I want to tell him it's already happening."

"Are you going to say it started in Ireland?" Coulson asked.

"Yeah I think so," Ward replied. "He's not to know what actually happened. As long as you're okay with that?" he addressed May.

"It's fine," she replied. She didn't want to ask the next question, but she couldn't help herself.. "Will Skye be okay with this plan?"

"It was her plan," Ward answered easily. He didn't like the way May kept coming back to the Skye issue but decided his best course of action was to not rise to the bait. "She made the suggestion and Coulson and I agreed it was a good plan."

While Ward's tone was perfectly even and there was no sign that her continued questioning of Skye was affecting him, Coulson was not as good at hiding his emotions and was currently shooting her a glare. She knew she needed to let it go, but she was still not convinced they could trust her. She also knew that it was coming across like she was jealous, which wasn't true. The sting of rejection was there, sure, but it wasn't that that made her question the younger girl knowing. She decided she needed to clear the issue up before this went any further.

"It is a good plan," she conceded. She paused, trying to sort out how to say what she wanted to say. "I'm not jealous," she said suddenly, causing both men to look at her curiously. "I know that's how it's probably coming across, but I'm really not. I will admit to feeling somewhat rejected that night," she said to Ward. "But it's not that I'm jealous. I am truly concerned that you are both trusting Skye too easily. You seem to have forgotten that it wasn't that long ago that she betrayed this team. And-"

"Do you trust me?" Ward interjected suddenly.

"What?" May asked, unsure where the question was coming from.

"Do you trust me?" Ward repeated.

"Yes," May said after a moment's hesitation. Even after all that was just revealed to her she did still trust the specialist.

"It was the same length of time ago that I was still technically betraying this team," Ward said quietly. "And if I had continued; if I had gone through with it to the end; my betrayal would have been far worse than Skye wanting to protect her boyfriend." Calling Miles Skye's boyfriend made him want to hit something but he needed to make this point. He could see where May was coming from, but he also knew Skye; knew that she would never betray them again, because they were her family now. "She grew up with no one, so the people she cares about are important to her. And at that stage he was who she cared about and we were the people she barely knew, who kidnapped her when we first met. But it's different now. We're her family now, and that's why we can trust her. Because a family is all she's ever really wanted and she won't do anything to jeopardise that. So if you can't trust anything else, then trust that."

May listened carefully to what he said and was surprised at the emotion he showed over the young hacker. She had known he was attracted to Skye but hadn't realised how much he genuinely cared about her. His explanation over why he felt he could trust the young hacker made sense. And she hadn't considered that it was at the same time that Ward made the choice to not betray the team.

"I hadn't thought about it like that," she said quietly. She studied him for a few moments before continuing. "You care a great deal about her."

"I do," he said easily.

"And she cares a great deal about you," she stated.

Even though it wasn't a question, he still answered. "She does."

"I still don't know if we can trust her," May said. She held up a hand when Coulson went to speak. "There's nothing you can say that will convince me right now. What Ward said makes sense, but I'm still not convinced. I'm still wary, and think you should be too."

"Okay," Coulson said, knowing that was the best they would get from her for now. "Well I think we're done for tonight, unless there's anything either of you want to add?"

"Nope," Ward said standing up.

"Not at the moment," May said remaining in her seat.

"Okay then. Let me know when you've spoken to Garrett?" he said to Ward.

"Of course," Ward replied. "I'll call him tomorrow afternoon if he hasn't called me by then."

"Sounds good."

Ward walked out of the office then, leaving the two older agents alone. He felt better now that May knew everything and good about the fact that he had hopefully helped in changing her mind about Skye. He thought about heading straight to bed but knew that Skye would want to know how it went with May. And he wanted to see her before he went to sleep anyway, so he headed in the direction of her bunk instead of his own.


	29. Chapter 28

**Author's note**

Some lines taken from episode 10 'The Bridge'

**Chapter 28**

Skye looked up from her laptop at the sound of light knocking. She had stayed up, wanting to speak to Ward about how the meeting with May went and was watching a movie to kill time.

"Hey SO," she said when she saw Ward looking through the partially open door.

"Hey rookie," he replied with a smile leaning in the open doorway.

"You coming in or are you going to stand there holding up the wall all night?" she asked with a grin, putting her laptop on the floor and moving over to make room for him.

He stepped in and closed the door behind him, sitting in front of her and leaning back against the side of the plane. She immediately threw her legs across his as she leaned back against the wall at the top of the bed.

"What were you doing before I interrupted?" he asked as he rested his hands on her legs, drawing patterns with his fingers.

"Nothing terribly exciting, just watching an old movie. And I don't mind you interrupting," she replied.

"Hmm I'll remember that."

"So how'd it go?" she asked, unable to keep the question in any longer.

"About how you would expect. She was shocked of course, although she accepted everything. She's onboard with your plan; agrees that it's probably the best bet," he explained.

"What did she say about me knowing?" she asked.

"She wasn't pleased that you know. She's still wary over you, not entirely sure you can be trusted but I think I might have helped her to see that you can be. She's not convinced though," he told her truthfully.

"How did you manage that?"

"I told her the truth. That the people you care about are important to you and that this team is your family now. And you won't do anything that would jeopardise that," he said like it was the most simple thing in the world.

"It's amazing how well you understand me," she said.

"Well they're my family too. So I get it," he said with a smile.

She smiled back at him, awed over just how well he understood her without her having to explain it. She moved suddenly, scooting forward until she was curled in his lap.

"I'm so lucky to have you," she whispered.

"I think I'm the lucky one," he replied, kissing the top of her head.

"So you'll be telling Garrett soon?" she said asked as she snuggled further into his chest.

"I'll be talking to him at some stage tomorrow," he answered.

"Do you think he'll buy it?" she asked quietly.

"I think so. I hope so. He should. It's exactly the kind of thing he will expect, I just have to sell it to him, which shouldn't be too hard. I know him, know how he thinks, what he expects of me. So I will just sell it as that guy," he answered.

"Okay good. Now on to more important things," she said lifting her head up to look at him.

"More important things like what?"

"Like the fact you've been in here for ages and haven't kissed me yet," she replied with a grin.

"Well we can't have that," he responded with his own grin before leaning in to capture her lips.

He threaded the fingers of one hand into her hair and rested the other on the small of her back. Skye rolled over, straddling him while grabbing the front of his shirt with one hand and wrapping the other around his neck. She pulled back to take a breath and then leaned forward to kiss him again. He moved his hands down to her hips, while deepening the kiss.

After a few more moments Ward pulled back. "It's late; we need to get some sleep."

"Stay with me tonight?" she asked.

"I shouldn't," he replied, placing a kiss on her nose.

"But you will," she said with certainty.

"I will," he agreed. "I'm going to go get changed and I'll be back," he continued, leaning in to kiss her again.

"Okay," she said pulling away. "Hurry up though, because I'm sleepy and you're comfy."

"I'll be right back," he replied, pecking her lips one more time before getting up and leaving her bunk.

He went into his bunk and changed then hurried to the bathroom to brush his teeth before returning to Skye's bunk.

She shifted across to the wall as he closed the door behind him and climbed onto the bed. They shuffled around a bit trying to get comfortable before Ward laid on his back and pulled her to lay half on top of him.

"These bunks really aren't made for two people are they," Skye commented lightly, resting her head on his chest and listening to his heartbeat.

"Not really, no. But this is pretty nice," he replied, kissing the top of her head.

"It is," she agreed. She lifted her head to look at him. "I think I need more kisses before I go to sleep."

He happily obliged and they shared kisses between stories from their pasts for a while longer before they drifted off to sleep, arms and legs entwined.

* * *

"Keep your hands up," Ward called as he watched Simmons and Skye on the training mats.

He and Skye had been awoken early that morning when Simmons barged into Skye's bunk and jumped on them, unsurprised to find Ward there for the third time that week. She had insisted that they needed to get up because it was time for training and when Ward had checked his watch he had found that she was right; they were actually running late.

Once Skye had realised that Ward and Simmons were in no way interested in each other romantically she had been happy for the scientist to join them a few mornings a week for training, usually ending with the two girls sparring as they were now. He watched as Skye managed to knock Simmons down and pin her to the mat.

"Yes!" Skye exclaimed, jumping up and dancing around. "I told you I would get you today!" she said pointing and Simmons who was still lying in place on the mat.

Ward grabbed their water bottles and handed Skye hers before grabbing Jemma's outstretched hand and hauling her up. The scientist had beaten the hacker in their last two sparring bouts so Skye had been particularly motivated to win today.

"You're both getting better," Ward said once they were both drinking their water. "But you're still leaving you're right side open Skye and Jemma you've got to keep your hands up to protect your face."

"Yes master," the girls chorused before bursting out laughing. It had become a running joke with them that he was a slave driver during training and so they had taken to calling him master, trying to get a rise out of him. Fortunately, he saw the humour in it and tended to respond simply by rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, you two are hilarious," he said as the girls started walking towards the stairs. "And where do you think you're going rookie?" he called.

"Um. To have a shower?" she answered as she turned back towards him. She didn't mean to make it a question but she thought that would have been fairly obvious.

"You owe me some pull ups, you were late to training," he said with a completely straight face.

"But you were late too!" she complained.

"So I'll do them with you. I will even do three for every one you do," he offered.

Skye took a moment to consider it and realised it was an easy choice. She definitely wanted to watch Ward do pull ups. "Deal."

"It's going to have to wait," Coulson interrupted from the balcony. "I need you all up in the command centre, we've got a case."

* * *

"Pour you a scotch?" Ward offered as May approached him at the bar. He had just pulled his cold beer away from his aching jaw. He stood by his decision to take the hit from a centipede super soldier at the warehouse because May was faster than him, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

"Don't ever do that again," she demanded.

"Brandy then?" he asked, a little confused and really not in the mood.

"You're head needs to be in the game in the field at all times."

"Time out," Ward said gesturing with his hands. "Still playing catch up here. What the hell are you talking about?"

"You taking a punch for me. Like I need your protection or something. I don't," May said fiercely.

"I wasn't in any way trying to protect you. I took that punch because you're faster than me. It was a purely tactical decision," Ward asserted.

"My mistake," May said quietly. She had felt like he was trying to protect her in the warehouse and she hadn't liked it one bit. She didn't need anyone's protection. Apparently she had been wrong in her thinking though.

"Look I know how to do my job and how to allow you to do yours. Making those kinds of calls is what I'm good at. I respect your abilities and I think you respect mine, so we're on the same page. So don't flatter yourself thinking it's anything more than that," Ward said then turned to walk away.

"Ward," May called. He turned back to face her and raised an eyebrow. "I do respect your abilities."

He nodded at her and turned to leave again, seeing Skye standing off to the side.

"Sorry," the hacker spoke up when she saw Ward notice her. "I didn't mean to crash."

"What's up?" Ward asked with a smile.

"Is this about that thumb drive again?" May asked coldly. She was on edge about the conversation with Ward. She didn't know why she had read more into what happened in the warehouse than was there and she was annoyed at herself for even bringing it up.

"No," Skye said quietly, looking away from her SO to the female agent and then to the ground.

"Good."

"Look I get that you don't want to help with that, loud and clear, big neon flashing lights. But I didn't ask okay? Coulson-" Skye started to explain, before May cut her off.

"Coulson doesn't want to tell you the truth," May said angrily before taking a breath. "The truth is, you need to decide why you're here. We have a mission, and it's not to find your parents. If you can't put aside your personal attachments then you shouldn't be here!" she finished, raising her voice slightly.

"I think that's enough Agent May," Ward said, stepping between the two women. He turned his back on the older agent and moved towards Skye. "Now I'm pretty sure we have some free time rookie, wanna do those pull ups now?" he said with a smile at her. "I bet I can finish faster than you."

Skye looked up at him and offered a small smile. She knew he was trying to distract her and she was grateful for the effort. "You're on SO!" she said a bit of her cheer returning at the thought of watching Ward work out. "What do I get if I beat you?"

"Think about it while you're changing and let me know what you want when you meet me down stairs. I'll do the same," he offered easily, walking past her to his own bunk.

Skye turned and headed to her own bunk, leaving May standing alone near the bar.

May knew she had been too harsh on the young girl and she really hadn't meant to be. Her anger had just gotten the better of her, as had been happening a lot lately. She was feeling conflicted over the fact that she blamed Skye and Ward for not being honest about why they were on the team, when she herself wasn't being entirely honest about why she was there. She hadn't told Coulson about her secret line to Fury or the fact that she was there to monitor him. She was feeling guilty about it, even though she had no intention of telling him. She thought about going to watch Ward and Skye do their pull up competition, knowing it would probably be entertaining, but figured they would both be happier without her there so headed to the cockpit instead, knowing flying would help her clear her head.


	30. Chapter 29

**Author's note**

Some lines taken from episode 10 'The Bridge'

**Chapter 29**

"I don't even know why we had to do pull ups," Skye complained from her position on the training mats in the cargo bay, where she had collapsed after Ward beat her in their pull up competition. "Wasn't the agreement that I do push ups for being late?"

"It was," Ward agreed as he sat down beside her and held a water bottle out to her. "But we were half an hour late to training and I didn't think you would want to do four hundred and fifty push ups. I think only having to do fifteen pull ups was generous."

"Tell that to my poor, poor arms. And back. I feel all jelly-like," she moaned. "And I can't reach out to take that from you. So you're just going to have to hold it up to my mouth," she told him eying the water bottle. She really could do with some water but the thought of lifting her arms to take the bottle was just too much.

"You realise I did three times as many as you right?" he asked with a raised eyebrow even as he moved closer to hold the bottle to her mouth.

"Yeah but you're all you," she replied once she had had some water. "With all the muscles, and firmness. You can obviously take it a lot easier than I can."

"That may be. But the point is, I won. And you know what that means?" he asked with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is gonna suck!" she pouted, causing him to laugh.

"Not for me," he replied while standing up. "Now come on, let's go get cleaned up."

He went to offer her a hand to pull her up, but knowing that would just make her complain more he leaned down and wrapped his hands around her waist, lifting her straight to her feet.

"Woah!" she exclaimed once she was on her feet, impressed that he got her there before she even realised what was going on. "How can you even think about lifting anything, let alone me, after that?"

"It's all the muscles," he said with a wink. "And firmness," he finished as he turned for the stairs.

* * *

"They want a trade, Ace for his father. They've set a time and a place," Coulson said to the team assembled in the lounge.

"Bloody savages," Fitz muttered.

"They want to experiment on him, determine how he still has his abilities," Simmons said.

"And we're gonna let them?" Ward asked. "We've fought these guys before."

"We don't have a choice, the instructions they gave Mr Peterson were very specific. I called HQ, told them to stand down," Coulson said.

"Stand down?" May asked.

"So we take them alone," Ward offered.

"We should at least have a hostage rescue unit in support of this," May asserted.

"They said they would murder my son," Mike interjected shakily. "If we make one wrong move. I know you don't believe they have someone who can actually see the future but if they do and this clairvoyant tells them-"

"Wait, clairvoyant?" Ward interrupted.

"Yeah," Coulson answered. "Po said something about 'the clairvoyant' to Raina when she visited him in prison. I thought I told you about this after you saw Miss Hayward."

"You never said clairvoyant," Ward replied absently, trying to pinpoint what it was that the word had struck in his mind.

"What is it Ward?" Skye asked.

"Hmm, what?" he asked distractedly before forcing himself to focus again. "Sorry. I don't know. There's something about it that's familiar but I can't place it." The rest of the team watched him as he wracked his brain for an answer, but kept coming up blank. He shook his head and looked up at the team. "I don't know what it is, but I will see if I can figure it out after we've gotten the boy back."

"Okay," Coulson said hesitantly. If there was something about the name that concerned Ward they should probably address it, but he realised that they really didn't have that kind of time right now. "So FitzSimmons have a non-electronic method of tracking him that we will use."

"Simmons has fabricated an odourless scent and I have an instrument that can detect it," Fitz explained. "Works like a bloodhound and can track from over fifty kilometres."

"After we make the exchange and your boy is safe we'll be able to follow you," Coulson told Mike.

"Okay. Just keep my boy safe," Mike said.

"I promise we will," Coulson agreed.

* * *

Ward fell back from the force of the bullet piercing his shoulder. "God I really hate getting shot," he muttered to himself.

"Ward, you okay?" he heard May through the comms.

"Still breathing," he replied. "I'll make my way down to you."

"We have to look around. We don't know if Coulson made it or-" she started to reply before he interrupted.

"He was on the chopper."

"Are you sure?" May asked with a hint of relief in her voice. Obviously him being taken by Raina wasn't ideal, but it was better than him being blown up.

"I'm sure," he affirmed. "I saw him just before they shot at me. I'll see you in a few," he said before she could ask any questions.

He grabbed the gun off the floor and headed towards where the team were. Moving too much hurt, so he tried to keep his shoulder as still as possible as he walked.

Simmons was the first to spot him and ran up to him. "May says you saw Agent Coulson in the helicopter?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around him for a quick hug.

"Yeah," he replied, returning her hug as best he could with one injured shoulder and holding a loaded weapon.

Simmons pulled away as Skye walked up and hugged him quickly too. He winced as she bumped the bullet wound in his shoulder, causing both girls to look at him intently.

"You okay robot?" Skye asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "Just a slight bullet wound. Nothing to be concerned about."

"Bullet wound?!" Skye exclaimed, hitting him in the shoulder with her hand without realising she was hitting the wound in question. "A bullet wound is not 'nothing to be concerned about'!"

May and Fitz had joined them at this point and May spoke up. "Is it okay to wait until we get back to the bus or does Simmons need to fix it up here?"

"It can wait," he replied easily. He had experienced much worse and had to keep fighting so a simple car ride back to the bus would be fine.

"Okay then we need to get going," May replied. They needed to get back to the bus to speak with HQ, preferably before any local law enforcement arrived so they could avoid too many questions. SHIELD would monitor investigations into the site and step in if needed, but that wasn't the team's job in this situation.

"What about Ace?" Skye asked, holding the scared little boy's hand.

"He's coming with us for now. We'll find out what's going to happen to him when we get back to the bus," May responded. "Fitz you're driving the van back." With that she turned and walked over to the SUV.

"Come on guys," Ward said. "The sooner we're back at the bus the sooner we can start working on getting Coulson back." He climbed into the back of the van, Skye and Ace following him and Simmons getting in the front with Fitz. "Can you pass me the case for this?" he asked Skye, indicating the case behind her and the gun still in his hand.

"We'll get him back right?" she asked as she handed it over.

"We'll do whatever it takes," he replied seriously, meeting her eyes. "And we'll get him back."

* * *

"You know I really don't enjoy stitching you up," Simmons commented as she fixed up Ward's bullet wound.

"I don't particularly enjoy needing to be stitched up," he responded lightly. "But in my defence, this time it was in no way my fault. They shot at me from a chopper, there wasn't a lot I could do."

"Hmm, yes well. I would tell you to take it easy for a few days and try and avoid moving your shoulder too much but I'm guessing that's not going to happen?" she said as she finished up, placing a dressing over the wound.

"I'll take it easy once Coulson's back here where he belongs," he offered with a smile.

"You say that now robot," Skye said from where she was leaning on the table across from him. "But we all know that something else will come up and you will jump straight back into it, bullet wound or not."

He went to argue but Fitz interrupted. "You know she's right so there's no point in denying it."

He looked between the three of them and realised they were right so he just shrugged slightly, conceding the point.

"Hand and a team of agents are going to be joining us onboard within an hour," May announced as she walked into the lab. "She's being put in charge of the operation to take down Centipede."

"And find Coulson?" Skye asked.

"Yes," May answered.

"What about Ace?" Skye asked. The little boy was currently sleeping in one of the bunks.

"An agent will take him in to child services and keep an eye on what's going on with him," May answered. "It's the best we can do, so we can focus on getting Coulson back."

Skye nodded. She wished there was more they could do for Ace but their priority right now was Coulson, and SHIELD would be keeping an eye on the situation.

"I'm going to grab a quick shower before they all get here," Ward said as he slid off the table and headed for the lab doors.

"Don't get your dressing wet!" Simmons called after him, receiving a wave of his hand in acknowledgement.

* * *

The increase in people on the plane was uncomfortable for the whole team but they endured it, knowing that it was all in an effort to help get Coulson back. The one part that made them all miserable was Agent Hand's need to have briefings what seemed like every hour. She had been on the plane for twenty-four hours and it was already driving them crazy.

"So if we can catch Vanchat, we can get his buyers out of him, which can lead us to Centipede and Coulson," she was saying.

They'd gotten intel on a dealer, Vanchat, who seemed to be the go-to-guy for Chitauri metal. Since the Centipede devices were made from Chitauri metal it was likely that he was the source.

"If you're team can get him to the roof, we can have him faced with a team of men holding guns on him. From there it will be easy to bring him in and we can interrogate him," Hand finished, looking at May and Ward.

"We'll get him there," Ward assured her, looking at the scientists and Skye.

"The meeting he's having is in eight hours," Hand said.

"We'll be ready," Ward said easily. None of them had slept since Coulson was taken but they were all determined to get him back so Ward knew that they would do whatever it took.

"Okay," Hand replied. "You sort that out among yourselves, let me know if there's anything you need."

Ward nodded then turned and led the three younger team members out of the room, May following behind. They moved to a section of the plane that was at least somewhat quiet and went over a plan.

"You guys can handle this?" Ward asked, not in a condescending way but in a way that he was concerned for them.

"We'll do whatever it takes," Skye repeated his own words back to him, Fitz and Simmons nodding next to her. "Let's get him back."


	31. Chapter 30

**Author's note**

Some lines taken from episode 11 'The Magical Place'

**Chapter 30**

"Just in time," Skye said as the door to her bunk was opened. "Can you override this?"

They had Vanchat in custody but that was taking too long for Skye so she was trying to hack his financials. She knew if she could just get into them she would be able to find Coulson. But her SHIELD bracelet kept locking down the system when she tried.

"What do you think you're doing?" Hand demanded.

"The money train is our key to finding Coulson. I just need to gain access to Vanchat's financials and from there I should be able to trace Centipede's payments and then hack their account."

Hand looked at her appraisingly for a moment before speaking. "You're the consultant. The one who shot Agent Sitwell."

"Technically that wasn't me but-" Skye started to defend herself.

"I want you off this plane immediately," Hand said and turned to walk away.

"What?" Ward asked turning to watch her go as Skye jumped up to follow.

"Wait! I know I'm not some badass field agent like May or Ward but this is what I do. You can't just kick me off this mission!" Skye said as she followed her. Finally Hand stopped and turned back towards her. "Listen, I will do whatever you say. All this protocol crap doesn't matter to me. What matters to me is Coulson."

"All this 'protocol crap' matters to me," Hand replied. "You're a distraction and you're gone."

"Agent Hand," Ward interjected stepping up beside Skye. "I know Skye's methods are unorthodox, but she's a member of this team. She can help."

Hand studied him for a moment before turning to May. "Agent May, your professional opinion, will this girl be of any use to us on this plane?"

"No," May replied refusing to look at Ward or Skye, although she could feel the looks they were giving her.

"Increase her restriction level. Confiscate her laptop and phone and have her delivered to debrief," Hand said to two agents standing behind her.

"I'll do it," Ward said. "I'm her SO." He received a nod from Hand before she turned and walked away. He turned to go in to other direction. "Come on Skye," he said quietly as she stared at May before following him.

They both went to her bunk where she grabbed a few things in a backpack and then headed down to the cargo hold, all without saying a word.

"It's clear May has an axe to grind with me, but that was way out of line," Skye said breaking the silence.

"I don't know what that was about but don't worry, Coulson will make this right when he gets back," Ward replied.

"I can find him Ward," she said quietly.

"I absolutely believe that," he replied with a small smile. "I've seen what you're capable of, even without SHIELD resources."

FitzSimmons approached then and gave her what she thought was a sandwich but was actually a satellite phone she would be able to use once without her bracelet shutting it down.

"What do I even need this for?" she asked the scientists. "I'm going to be spending the next three days in a SHIELD broom closet being debriefed."

"That's right," Ward responded loudly. "A few agents are coming to pick you up for debriefing," he continued before lowering his voice so only Skye and FitzSimmons could hear. "In exactly twelve minutes."

Her eyes widened as she understood what was going on. "Won't you get in trouble?" she asked quietly.

"It'll be fine," he returned. "I know you can do this, so go show Hand how wrong she was to kick you off the plane." He reached out and squeezed her hand briefly, before taking a step back. "Good luck," he said before turning and heading for the stairs, Fitz and Simmons both heading into the lab.

Skye watched them go for a few minutes before realising she had to get out of there quickly before anyone else noticed. "Don't touch Lola," she snapped at one of the ground crew that was about to do that just as she walked past. With Ward and FitzSimmons' faith in her she left quickly, glad they were landed close to a city.

* * *

A while later they were back in the air and FitzSimmons and Ward were in the lab, the scientists working around their tables while Ward watched the interrogation room Vanchat was in on the screen.

"What's this guy doing, lulling Vanchat to sleep?" Ward said suddenly, turning towards FitzSimmons. "I'm going in, and I need you two to do something for me."

"What do you need?" Simmons asked.

"When I give the signal, I think maybe some fresh air should be let into the interrogation room," he said, hoping they go it. He really didn't want to outright say what he wanted with these other agents around.

It took a second before both their eyes lit up. "That can definitely be arranged Agent Ward," Simmons said with a smile.

"Just look straight into the camera and we will take care of that for you," Fitz added.

He nodded at the two scientists and then headed straight for the interrogation room. He walked straight into the room and addressed the agent in there.

"Agent Hand needs you, says it's urgent." The agent nodded and left, as Ward walked over to take a seat. "Time to talk," he said to Vanchat. "The names of all your buyers. Alphabetically would help."

"I'm not telling you a bloody thing," Vanchat replied with a chuckle.

"If that's how you want to play it," Ward said easily, strapping himself in then turning and nodding straight at the camera. A moment later the roof started to open, causing Vanchat to fly out of his seat, just managing to grab the table and avoid being sucked out of the plane. "I've got all day," Ward said calmly watching the man with a slight smirk on his face.

"All right, all right, I'll talk, I'll talk!" Vanchat screamed.

Ward smirked at him and nodded his head before turning back to the camera and nodding again, signalling FitzSimmons to shut the roof.

"So," Ward said once Vanchat had fallen gracelessly back to the floor. "Your buyers?"

"You're insane!" Vanchat yelled at him, picking himself up off the floor and falling into the seat.

Ward unbuckled himself and walked over to the table. "Not insane. Just adequately motivated to do what it takes to get results," he said with a smile. "Now, your buyers. Please."

* * *

"There a problem?" May asked as Ward joined her in the cockpit.

"Victoria Hand," he answered. "We don't exactly see eye to eye."

"I'm sure she's utilising all of SHIELD's resources to find Coulson," May said calmly.

"Not all of hem," he disagreed. "You know, it wouldn't hurt to have Skye working an exploit. Why didn't you stick up for her?"

"Excuse me?" May asked softly.

"She's proven herself on multiple missions. She's a part of this team. And you let her get tossed," he said, trying to reign in his anger.

"All I did was tell Hand the truth. Skye's no use to us _on this plane_," May said, emphasising the last words.

Ward went to reply and then stopped. "It's not that you didn't want her on the plane. It's that you wanted her off it," he said in realisation.

"Outside the system," May confirmed. "That's how Skye works best." She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "You don't have to assume the worst of me."

"Can you blame me really?" Ward asked quietly. "With the way you've been treating Skye? It wasn't that long ago you stood in Coulson's office and told us we shouldn't trust her."

"And it was at that same time that you told me why I should. And I told you I would work on it. I've been working on it," May said quietly.

Ward studied her closely. "There's something else isn't there?" She turned her head to look at him and raised an eyebrow. "I don't know what it is, but there's something else."

"Yes," she replied after a slight hesitation. "But I can't talk about it."

"Understood," he said easily. "But if you want to, I'll listen. And maybe tell Skye you don't hate her when she gets back," he added with a smile.

"I'm sure you will tell her all about this conversation, doing it for me," she returned with a slight smile of her own.

"Agent May, change of plans," Hand's voice come over the intercom into the cockpit. "Sending you new coordinates now. We found their helicopter at a laboratory outside the Mojave Desert."

"Copy that. Coordinates received. Hang on to something," May responded as she made the plane do an abrupt direction change.

* * *

"I just want to say thank you," Coulson said to his team in front of him after Hand and all the extra agents had left the bus. "I heard what you did for me," he said looking straight at Skye. "So I think it's time we remove this," he continued lifting the wrist with her bracelet on. "Disengage bracelet," he said making it pop open.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," Skye huffed.

"Thought you'd like that," he said with a grin, while FitzSimmons and Ward laughed at her reaction.

"You okay?" Skye asked softly. "I heard what you were saying, back in that room."

"It wasn't real," he told her with a smile. "They were just messing with my head," he assured her. "So what did you win for beating Skye in your pull up competition Ward?" he asked as they headed for the stairs, causing Skye to groan and Ward to laugh.

* * *

"Where's Ward?" Simmons asked Skye when she found the hacker alone in the hotel bar.

The team were staying there for a few days while the bus was undergoing some extra maintenance. Simmons had gone looking for Skye after what Fitz had told her half an hour earlier.

_Simmons opened her room door to find a flustered Fitz in front of her. "What on earth are you doing banging on my door like that?" she asked him crossly._

"_Simmons! I just saw- He was- I don't- Something very wrong just happened!" he stammered._

_She saw that he was obviously worked up over something so let him into her room. "Calm down Fitz. Take a few deep breaths," she instructed as she guided him to sit on the bed. Once he seemed calmer she spoke again. "Now tell me what happened."_

"_It's Ward. He-" he started before she interrupted._

"_Is he okay? Do I need to check on him?" She asked hurriedly jumping off the bed and heading for the door._

"_No! No, Jemma wait!" Fitz called, grabbing her arm and dragging her back to the bed. "I saw him, going into Agent May's room and closing the door," he blurted out._

"_What?" Simmons gasped. "No! That can't be right. Why would he be going into her room? And with the door closed?"_

"_I don't know!" Fitz replied. "But that's what I saw. And I don't understand because-"_

"_Of Skye," she finished for him. "The amount of times I've found the two of them in the same bunk in the mornings speaks for itself. There must be some other reason that he was going into May's room. We both know how much he cares for Skye! He wouldn't do that to her."_

"_Well what other reason could there be?" Fitz asked, wanting to believe that as much as Simmons did._

"_I don't know," Simmons said softly. They sat there quietly for a few moments before she come up with a plan. "I'm going to find Skye and ask her if she knows where Ward is. We both know the two of them are usually together during downtime, so I'll ask her and she will clear all this up."_

"_Okay," Fitz agreed. "Because if it's completely innocent then Skye would know about it."_

"_Exactly," Simmons agreed before getting up and heading for the door._

Skye's voice brought her out of her memories. "He said he wasn't feeling well so he was going to lie down, I decided to grab a drink since I'm not tired," Skye answered Simmons using the story they had made up for if she was asked this question. In truth he and May were cementing their story of a sexual relationship, but she couldn't tell Simmons that.

"Oh, well yes. Okay then," Simmons responded before hurrying off. Ward had lied to Skye about what he was doing, and then snuck into Agent May's room. She had to speak to Fitz again so they could decide what to do with this information.

**Author's note**

I can't decide what Ward should have won for winning the pull up competition. I would love some suggestions if anyone has any ideas.

And thank you for all the reviews and follows and favourites. I'm blown away by the response to this story.


	32. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

"Fitz!" Simmons called as she barged back into her room where he was waiting for her.

"Simmons!" Fitz replied jumping up off the bed. "What did Skye say? Is it-"

"Oh Fitz, it's bad," Simmons interrupted. "Apparently he told her that he wasn't feeling well and was going to lie down! Fitz he lied to her! And then snuck off into Agent May's room!"

"Oh this is bad," he responded. "What is he thinking? Clearly he really likes Skye, why would he be doing something stupid like this and screwing everything up?!"

"I don't know!" Simmons said sadly. "What do we do Fitz? Should we tell her what you saw?"

"I think we should talk to him first," Fitz answered.

"You're right. We should give him a chance to explain. Because it still might not be what we think it is," Simmons agreed.

"And if he doesn't have a good explanation then big brother or not, we will do something about it, we won't just let him hurt her like that."

"Yes, definitely. So when should we talk to him?"

"I say we wait until he leaves Agent May's room and then go and confront him," Fitz answered.

"Okay. Then we should probably move to your room because then we will hear him leaving hopefully," Simmons said. Fitz's room was next door to May's while Simmons was on his other side and Ward's room was at the other end of the hall, so they were more likely to hear him leaving from Fitz's room.

"Agreed, let's go."

The two scientists walked briskly to Fitz's room and put the television on with the volume right down so they could hear what was happening in the hall. Just under an hour later they heard May's door open and close and quickly got up and moved towards the door. They opened it quietly and looked out into the hallway just as Ward was swiping his card to get into his own room. They raced down the hall and barged in behind him, not noticing him placing a book on the nightstand beside the bed.

"What's up guys?" Ward asked turning to face them with a smile.

"What's up is that I saw you!" Fitz said loudly.

"Saw me doing what?" Ward asked confused.

"Going in to Agent May's room! Almost two hours ago! And you just came out!" Fitz continued, getting worked up. They had planned to stay calm when they confronted Ward but Fitz just couldn't get a handle on what he was feeling.

"Woah, woah, woah, time out!" Ward said. "Just calm down for a minute. It wasn't at all what you're thinking."

"What about Skye?" Simmons asked, more calm than Fitz. "I thought you really cared about her."

"I do, Jemma," Ward replied quietly.

"Then how could you do this? She would be crushed if she knew!" Simmons responded.

"That's what I'm trying to tell you," Ward said, trying to keep calm. He knew that they were just looking out for Skye, but their accusations hurt. "I-"

"We won't let you hurt her like that!" Fitz said loudly, interrupting his attempt to explain.

* * *

"What was that about?" Coulson asked as he approached Skye just after Simmons left the bar.

"I'm not really sure," Skye said staring after the scientist. "She asked where Ward was and when I told her he went to lay down because he wasn't feeling well she got all weird and ran away."

"Huh. Strange," he said before turning to the bar. "Want another drink?" he offered.

"Sure," she accepted. "I've got some time to kill."

The two sat in the bar for another hour before Skye knew Ward would be heading back to his room from putting the May plan into action and she headed up there herself.

"_We won't let you hurt her like that!_" she heard Fitz saying loudly as she reached Ward's door.

She opened the door and walked in. "Hurt who? Like what?" she asked.

"It's nothing, just a misunderstanding," Ward answered.

"It's not a misunderstanding! I saw you sneaking into Agent May's room almost two hours ago!" Fitz accused.

That made Skye pause. They hadn't planned for Fitz or Simmons seeing him going to May's room so she wasn't sure how she should respond. Ward could see Skye hesitate, not knowing what to say so he figured he should speak first.

"I was just about to explain to Fitz and Simmons that I was going over some information from the past few missions with May. It was dealing with classified information, so we couldn't exactly do it in the middle of the hotel bar, so it had to be in one of our rooms. She had the files, so I went to her room," he said calmly. It wasn't exactly the truth, in reality he had sat on the floor and read his book while she sat on the bed and read through some files. But it was a plausible enough cover, considering they hadn't thought to account for this scenario.

They seemed to be buying it until Simmons suddenly looked at Skye. "I thought you said he wasn't feeling well," she said.

Skye realised that she was going to have to play on this, maybe seem a little upset or angry to sell it.

"Well that is what he told me," Skye replied to Simmons before turning to Ward. "You said you weren't feeling well and wanted to go lay down. Apparently that was a lie though. You felt well enough to spend time with May but not with me?" she asked with a combination of slight anger and sadness in her tone.

Ward hated seeing Skye looking upset, even if he knew she was putting it on. He flicked his gaze to the door quickly, making sure it was closed – it wouldn't help sell the story if someone outside saw him with Skye when he was meant to be involved with May – before moving forward and caressing her cheek.

"Hey, you know nothing happened. I got up here and ran into her in the hall. She wanted to go over the mission info and wasn't too keen on taking no for an answer. I agreed to get it over and done with. I promise that's all it was," he said, looking her straight in the eye.

Skye studied him for a moment trying to decide if she should accept that or still be upset with him. They really should have thought about this happening so they could better plan for it.

"Okay," she said quietly. "Next time maybe text me and let me know?"

"Of course," he agreed easily. If the situation had been real, he probably would have let her know, so it was easy to agree to. "I just didn't think."

"It's fine," she said with a smile, leaning forward to hug him.

Simmons and Fitz both felt guilty for assuming the worst and not letting him explain. They should have had more faith in him. Simmons had seen the hurt he had tried to hide when they were accusing him before Skye came in, and it made her feel awful for not believing in him. His explanation made perfect sense and she knew him enough to know he wouldn't hurt Skye the way they had accused him.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, causing Ward to pull back from Skye and look at her.

"For what?" Ward asked with a frown.

"For coming in here making accusations and not giving you a chance to explain," Fitz answered. He too felt guilty for how they had treated Ward. They should have known better than to think he would hurt Skye like that.

Ward smiled gently at them. "You were looking out for Skye, how could I possibly be upset with you for that?" he said easily.

"But we should have known better!" Simmons said sadly. "You would never hurt Skye like that." Fitz was nodding agreeing with her.

"Really Jemma, it's okay," Ward said softly. She still looked miserable so he opened his arms and said "Come here."

She moved straight into his arms, wrapping hers around his waist. "Sorry big bro," she whispered so only he could hear.

"Nothing to be sorry for baby sis. But if it will make you feel better I can say I forgive you," he replied in the same quiet tone.

"Yes please."

"I forgive you," he said as he pulled back to smile at her. He looked over her shoulder and saw Fitz looking at the two of them and shifted Jemma across to open one arm to let him in too. Fitz moved into the hug right away, wrapping his arms around Simmons and Ward. "And I forgive you too if it makes you feel better."

"It does," Fitz muttered.

"I want in on the cuddling too!" Skye exclaimed jumping on Ward's back and wrapping her arms around them all as best she could. It was a testament to Ward's strength that she didn't knock them over. "I think we should put a movie on," she muttered into Ward's shoulder.

There were murmurs of agreement then they all climbed onto Ward's bed, everyone settling in comfortably. Ward was against the headboard, Simmons' head on one of his shoulders and Skye's head in his lap, his fingers tangled in her hair. Fitz was lying across the bed, his head resting on Simmons' lap, with Skye's legs over his. An old movie was playing on the TV, but none of them saw much of it, all falling asleep less than an hour after settling in.

* * *

"May," Coulson called as he knocked on her door in the middle of the night. She opened it quickly with a questioning look on her face. "I think FitzSimmons might be missing," he said quickly in answer to her unspoken question.

"Why?" she asked, letting him into her room and closing the door.

"I was checking to make sure everyone made it back to their rooms and they didn't answer when I knocked on their doors. So I used my key and checked and they weren't in there! I checked the common areas just in case, but they weren't there either."

"What about Skye?" she asked.

"Her room was empty, but she indicated she would be going to Ward's when she left me in the bar earlier," he answered.

"Let's check and make sure she's there. Plus, if they are missing we will need both their help," May said, grabbing her room key and heading to the door.

"Good idea," he said following her.

They got to Ward's door and knocked a few times but received no answer, so Coulson used his spare key to open the door. The sight in the room brought a smile to both their faces. The four younger members of the team were all in Ward's bed, entangled limbs everywhere. Coulson pulled his phone out of his pocket and snapped a few pictures, earning a raised eyebrow from May which he answered with a shrug.

"It's too adorable not to capture," he whispered.

Unfortunately, even the whisper was too loud for the specialist on the bed, whose eyes snapped open and body tensed when he realised there was someone nearby that he didn't expect to be there. His eyes found Coulson and May quickly, allowing him to relax, but he raised an eyebrow at them, wondering why they were there.

"Coulson was concerned when he did rounds and found half the team missing," May said quietly, indicating the three younger members still sleeping around him.

He looked down at them then back at Coulson and May. "Sorry for worrying you," he said softly so as not to wake any of them.

"Shush robot, I'm sleeping," Skye muttered as she snuggled further into his abs.

"Sorry baby," he replied, stroking her hair softly.

She mumbled something incoherent in reply before letting out a little snore, indicating she was asleep again.

"We'll leave you to it," Coulson said with a grin as he and May moved to the door.

"I'll want to see whatever photos you took in the morning," Ward called softly after him as they closed the door, before shifting slightly to get comfortable again and letting himself fall back to sleep.

"They're good for him," May said to Coulson as they left the room.

"They definitely are," he replied. "And I think he's good for them too."

"He is," May agreed. "And I have to say, and if you ever repeat this I will cause you harm, he's quite adorable with her."

"Melinda May, you big softie," Coulson said with a grin, earning himself a glare. "You're right though. Do you think he realises he's in love with her?"

"Not yet," May replied. "I would guess he's never really known love so while he probably feels it, he probably isn't sure exactly what it is."

"You're probably right. He'll get there though. And she'll help him."

"She will," May said as they stood outside her door. She thought about inviting him to stay with her the night, but knew she couldn't while she was still keeping the truth from him. "Goodnight Phil," she said and gave him a kiss on the cheek before entering her room and closing the door.

He stood staring at her closed door for a few minutes before shaking his head and walking away. He thought about the four younger members of the team and a smile came to his face. Yes, they were all definitely good for each other.


	33. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

"So uh," Simmons said hesitantly as she looked at Fitz across the lab table. "Have you noticed that Ward seems to be spending an awful lot of time with Agent May lately?" she asked, finally expressing what was bothering her.

Fitz looked up at her from what he was working on with a frown. "I suppose I have," he said thoughtfully. "But I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Skye doesn't seem to be too bothered by it."

"Skye doesn't seem to be too bothered by what?" came Ward's voice from the door to the lab.

The scientists both spun around to look at him guiltily. "Uh we were just talking about uh-" Simmons started to come up with an excuse before Ward interrupted.

"Baby sis, before you try and lie to me, remember that I'm trained to spot it and you're terrible at it. Just tell me the truth," he said, looking at her with an almost pleading expression.

She gave in easily, not wanting to lie to him and just wanting to know what was going on. "It's just, you've been spending a lot of time with Agent May, behind closed doors, but you still spend most nights with Skye and things seems to be going well between you and I'm just confused," she explained quickly.

Ward had known this was most likely coming since the night in the hotel and he had already decided he wasn't going to lie to them again. He wasn't going to tell them everything though either.

"I understand you being confused," Ward started as he walked further into the lab. "Do you trust me?" he asked looking between the two.

"Absolutely." "Of course." They responded at the same time.

"Okay, then I need you to trust me when I tell you there is a reason for what's happening. Can you do that?" he asked them.

Fitz and Simmons looked at each other and then back to Ward before nodding. "Can you tell us why?" Simmons asked.

"Not at the moment," Ward replied. "I want to, but I can't. I'm sorry," he said softly.

"It's okay," Fitz replied, seeing in Ward's expression that he didn't want to keep whatever it was from them.

"I need you both to do me a favour though," Ward continued.

"Name it," Simmons replied. She too could see that Ward didn't like keeping whatever this was from them and anything they could do to help they would.

"Outside of the team, if anyone asks, you tell them I've been spending a lot of time with May okay? And don't mention anything about how much time I spend with Skye. Especially not that I spend most nights with her," he requested.

"Oh but I'm a terrible liar," Simmons said worriedly. "You even said so yourself!"

"You don't need to lie, baby sis," Ward said. "You can be honest, because you even said yourself I've been spending a lot of time with May. You just need to avoid mentioning anything about Skye."

"Oh that's true," Simmons replied. "Okay, yes. I can do that then."

"Sure. I can do that. It's not like we will be lying anyway, just omitting certain facts. It's like knowing classified information and not being able to share it. And we've had to do that before," Fitz said easily. He trusted Ward, so if Ward said that they couldn't know he believed it was for good reason and would do what he asked.

"Yes, you're right Fitz," Simmons agreed. "So, when are you going to collect on your winnings?" she asked, changing the subject. This was something that everyone on the bus was curious about as neither Skye nor Ward would reveal what it was that he had won. And any questions about it always ended the same way – Skye groaning and Ward laughing at her.

"Can't tell you that," Ward replied with a grin. "But when the time comes, you'll know it when you see it."

With that he turned and walked out of the lab, leaving the two scientists staring after him.

"What do you think he won?" Fitz asked.

"Not sure," Simmons replied. "But I have a feeling it will be worth seeing."

* * *

Ward made his way down from Coulson's office, which he had gone to after leaving the lab. He had gone down there originally just to hang out with FitzSimmons since Skye was having a nap but after the conversation he had walked into he felt Coulson should know what he had said. He hadn't really told them anything – he was grateful they trusted him enough that he didn't need to – but he still thought Coulson needed to know. Coulson had been grateful to be told, and said that he had handled it the right way. This way they wouldn't ask too many questions and the story they wanted to get out would if any questions were asked of them. They were planning to tell the scientists the truth soon, but they just weren't there yet.

"Hey robot," Skye called as she walked out of her bunk and saw him coming down the stairs. She had just woken from her nap.

"Well if it isn't my favourite rookie," Ward replied with a smile as he headed in her direction.

"I'm your only rookie," she replied with a raised eyebrow.

"And even if you weren't, you would still be my favourite," he said. "Now, since we have some down time and we're back on the plane I think it's time for you to pay up on our bet," he said with a grin.

"Do I have to?" she asked with a pout.

"You definitely do," he said leaning forward and kissing her nose.

"So it's for three days starting from now?" she asked scrunching up her nose. She really didn't want to do this, but he had won and she wasn't someone who backed out on a bet.

"Yup, three days, starting now. And if I catch you out we add an extra day each time," he said grinning.

"And it's with everyone, including just you when we're alone? And if anyone specifically asks if this is because you won the pull up competition then I get to stop?" she confirmed.

"That's right."

"Alright. I can do this," she said confidently, turning and heading for the kitchen.

"We shall see," he replied following after her.

They walked into the kitchen to find May getting a bottle of water out of the fridge, obviously having just finished a work out.

"Ward, Skye," she said in greeting.

"May," Ward replied.

"Agent May," Skye replied. "Ward has amazing cheekbones don't you think?"

"Uh," May said, unsure of how to respond. She looked to the specialist who had a completely neutral expression as he moved towards the fridge himself. "Yes, I suppose so?" May answered Skye hesitantly, before leaving the room quickly.

"I hate you and your wonderful hair," she heard Skye mutter as she was leaving, followed by a chuckle from Ward.

* * *

"I'll have the lasagne please," Skye said to the waitress as the team sat around a table in a restaurant that night. "And I don't know if you noticed, but my friend here," she said, indicating her SO beside her, "has the most perfect teeth I've ever seen."

Coulson had decided to treat the team to a meal off the bus and Skye was pissed, because she had expected she wouldn't have to carry out the bet anywhere but the bus. The waitress stared at her incredulously for a moment, before turning to look at Ward, who flashed a smile that made her blush. He was rather enjoying his rookie's discomfort and frustration.

"I'll have the same please," he said to the waitress, smile still in place.

The rest of the team was looking between Skye and Ward with amusement. They had noticed Skye's strange statements throughout the afternoon- she never spoke without in some way complimenting Ward. Coulson had been met with "I really like Ward's abs, they are all kinds of impressive" when he had informed her that they were going out for dinner, while Fitz and Simmons had been treated to "I'm not someone who likes feet at all, but Ward has some great feet" when she had visited them in the lab. The strangest part of it all was that Ward didn't even react to most of what she said, aside from the occasional chuckle.

As the waitress left the table Skye turned to her SO with a glare and said, "I hate you so much right now, even if you do have gorgeous eyes."

"You don't hate me," Ward replied easily. "And I think your eyes are beautiful too," he continued sincerely.

She couldn't help but smile at him then, even though she wanted to stay annoyed with him. This whole bet sucked. And she had herself to blame, since it had been what she suggested for if she won and he stole it from her. And really, she should have known that he would win.

"So uh," Coulson spoke up. "Not that Ward doesn't have lovely teeth I'm sure, but is there any reason you felt the need to point that out to the waitress?"

"The way she was looking at him I'm pretty sure she wants to get up close and personal with his teeth. And the rest of him," Skye muttered to herself – everyone else heard and tried hard to suppress their smiles – before addressing Coulson's question. "I can't say something nice about him? He is after all a wonderful SO who does a great job protecting our team."

"Of course," Coulson replied. "We're ah, we're all very lucky to have him." He had no idea how to respond to this.

"So where are we going next sir?" Ward asked.

He was mostly trying to prevent Coulson from asking anymore questions and Skye from stabbing him with her fork which it kind of looked like she wanted to. Part of the deal had been that she couldn't tell anyone why she was complimenting him every time she spoke and so it had been quite amusing watching her dodge questions about it by offering more compliments to him, but he didn't really think she agreed. She was also quite creative in some of her compliments – he had heard her say something nice about his left thumb to May earlier. Just his left thumb. It had left the pilot with a very perplexed expression when the hacker walked away.

The dinner continued in much the same fashion, Skye offering little to the conversation but always including a compliment to Ward when she did speak – there was his jawline, his chest, his neck and a particularly memorable mini speech about his right knee. The team continued to be both amused and perplexed by this strange behaviour but chalked it up to just Skye being Skye.

* * *

"Just so you know," Skye said between kisses as she and Ward lay in his bed that night. "I may not forgive you for this stupid bet. Even if you do give remarkable kisses."

"It was your idea, baby," he said in reply. "I just decided to use against you what you were going to use against me."

"I said you had to compliment the person you were talking to! Which would be way less weird than me having to compliment you no matter who I'm talking to! Everyone thinks I'm crazy because of you and your spectacular ass," she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I like hearing you say nice things about me," he replied with a shy smile. "And I especially like some of the interesting compliments you've managed to come up with. I had no idea you found my knee so attractive," he said with a smirk.

"Oh shut up," she said, hitting him in the shoulder. "It just came out and then I had to go with it and it just got worse from there. I blame your smile. It's such an awesome thing to see that it makes me dopey."

He laughed before kissing her pouting lips as he rolled them so she was on her back and he was hovering above her then leant in to kiss her again. He ran his hands down her sides to her legs, grabbing her thighs and hitching them up over his hips, shifting forward to rub against her. She moaned into his mouth as he slipped one hand back up and under her shirt, over her rib cage to cup her breast in his hand, stroking her nipple with his thumb.

"Oh god. Nothing feels as good as you touching me," she moaned as he kissed along her jaw and to her neck. "Don't stop."

"Never," he replied grinning into her neck.

They both knew this wouldn't go any further than making out, heavy petting and grinding against each other that night as they didn't think they were ready for that, but it didn't stop them from thoroughly enjoying the feel of one and other. And it definitely didn't stop them from dry humping until they came like teenagers.

* * *

"I'll know it when I see it," Simmons muttered to herself after Skye told her at breakfast two mornings later how lovely Ward's ears were. "This is what you won," she said louder looking at Ward. Then she turned to Skye. "You have to compliment him in some way every time you speak right? As his winnings for the pull up competition. How long do you have to do it?"

"Oh Simmons I think I love you," Skye said with a grin. "It was for three days or until someone specifically asked if it was because of the pull up competition. So I can officially stop now. Yes! This is great! Oh I could just kiss you Jemma!"

"I would really prefer if you didn't," Simmons replied, causing the rest of the team to laugh.


	34. Chapter 33

**Author's note**

Some lines are taken from episode 12 'Seeds'

**Chapter 33**

"So we're going to the academy?" Skye asked after FitzSimmons explained the device built based on things they created and that they were being asked to consult.

"Science and Technology division," Ward replied. "Cadets are pretty shaken up over what happened. Agent Weaver asked if you two could speak to the student body about potentiality. Calm 'em down," he continued to FitzSimmons.

"Of course, the talk. We've all heard the talk," Simmons said.

"I haven't," Skye said, looking up from her cereal.

"Well I guess you will," Ward replied as he drank some coffee.

"I've heard a lot about the academy," Skye said. "I'm excited to finally see it."

"Me too," Ward said in reply causing Skye to give him a confused look. "Never been to SciTech before."

"Never?" Skye asked incredulously. "Huh. The different SHIELD academies don't interact?"

"Not much," Ward replied as Fitz and Simmons scoffed. "The academy of Communications does but they're the biggest and focused on data analysis."

"By far the easiest to get into," Simmons said.

"That's where you'd be Skye," Fitz added.

"Nice," she said sarcastically.

"Operations is the most aggressive program," Ward said drawing her attention back. "More people wash out of Operations than the other academies."

"So which one's the hardest to get into?" Skye asked. Simmons tilted her head and gave her a smile, Fitz looked at her like it was a stupid question and Ward just slightly inclined his head in the direction of the scientists. "I'm picking up on the rivalry between Sciences and Operations," she said wryly. "Are you and Coulson past all that or are you going to help Ward steal their mascot?" she asked May as the older agent walked past.

"We're not going," May replied. "After we drop you off Coulson and I have other matters to attend to." With that she continued out of the room.

"Coulson's been spending a lot of time in his office," Skye said quietly as she and Ward moved closer to where FitzSimmons were standing. "Do you think he's alright?"

"We saw him at a low," Ward replied softly. "It's not easy for anybody. But Coulson's tough as they come. He'll be good. Just give him time. And while he takes that time," he continued in a louder voice. "It's on us to figure out what's going on at the academy."

Skye and FitzSimmons looked at him for a moment before nodding. FitzSimmons headed down to the lab leaving Skye and Ward alone.

"You really think he'll be okay?" she asked him, leaning into his chest.

"I really do," he replied wrapping his arms around her. "And when he's ready we'll be there for him, like he is for us."

* * *

"So is this where you got all your PHDs?" Skye asked Simmons as they stood on the hill at SciTech.

"Oh no," Simmons replied with a smirk. "You need at least one to get through the door."

"Is Science and Technology what you imagined Ward?" Fitz asked.

"Yep. No uniforms, no rope course, no defined muscularity on anyone," Ward replied with a sigh.

"No marching in place, no IQs in double digits," Fitz responded.

"Hey. My IQ isn't in double digits," Ward said turning to face Fitz.

"Yes well," Simmons interjected. "I believe you are the exception and not the rule big bro."

He mock glared at her before conceding she was probably right. "Well not everyone can be a genius," he muttered, pouting.

"I've seen your test scores," Simmons continued, not wanting him to have hurt feelings over Fitz's remark. "You aced everything you tried, even theory based. You easily topped your classes in the academy, even the ones that weren't based on hitting things. Your ability to think strategically is outstanding and your ability to learn languages is insane. You have far above average intelligence."

Ward grinned at her. "Thanks baby sis."

Agent Weaver approached them then, offering friendly greetings and thanks for their help. She agreed to arrange for Ward to speak to the boy already affected by the freezing device and then took Fitz and Simmons to prepare in the lecture hall. Skye and Ward watched as they walked down the hill and were greeted by most of the students they passed.

"Look at them, the popular kids. Who knew?" Skye said nudging Ward in the shoulder.

"I did," he replied with an indulgent smile as he watched the scientists. She smiled at the look on his face as he watched them. "Come on," he said turning his attention to Skye. "While we have a minute I think there's something you'll want to see."

He led her down and into the main building, somehow getting her to follow without asking any questions.

"The Wall of Valor," she finally spoke when they reached their destination.

"So you've read about it?"

She nodded. "Every SHIELD facility has a memorial to the agents lost in the line of duty. SHIELD's history can be traced on walls like this," she said moving closer to the wall.

"Puts it in perspective, what we do," Ward said from behind her.

"Must make you guys proud. All this history, I just wish I was a part of it," she said. She could feel him looking at her intensely and rushed to clarify. "It's not self pity, really. I'm just saying, everyone here has earned this. They deserve it. I hacked my way in. Feels like I cheated."

"All you need to join," he said as he moved closer. "Is a dedication to the greater good." He wanted to reach out and touch her but knew he couldn't in public, and especially not at a SHIELD facility. "Coulson saw that in you the moment he met you. And I might have been a little slower but I saw it too. You deserve to be a part of all this."

"Thank you," she whispered, wanting to hug him but knowing she couldn't here.

"Let's get you to the lecture hall so you don't miss the talk," Ward said. "And I'll go talk to Seth."

* * *

Ward instructed Fitz to go and speak to Donnie, the second student that was affected by the freezing device, telling him that he looked up to him and needed a friend. As Fitz walked away, Skye and Simmons turned back towards Ward with matching grins on their faces.

"What?" he asked, scowling at them. "It's strategic," he defended.

"It's adorable," Simmons replied.

"The tin-man has a heart after all," Skye said, nudging his chest.

He glared at the two of them. "It's not like that's news to either of you," he said quietly looking at the ground.

The two girls looked at each other then back to him. "Oh robot, we know," Skye said desperately wanting to hug him.

"But we've never seen you show it for anyone outside the bus," Simmons said.

"So where we going?" he asked just wanting to change the subject. He walked between them and they turned and fell in step on either side of him.

Simmons explained the beginnings of the boiler room as a place for the students to go to get away from the faculty and Ward and Skye were amazed when they entered the place.

"Do you have one of these at Operations?" Simmons asked Ward.

"Nope," he said as he looked around.

"Did not think so," she replied smugly.

"Drinks are on me," Skye said heading for the stairs.

Ward went to follow but Simmons stopped him. "You know we didn't mean anything by it right?" she asked, knowing he would know what she meant. She hadn't meant to upset him and she was sure Skye hadn't either. They just weren't used to him being that human with people outside the team.

"I know," he replied. "Don't be so worried. I'm fine," he assured her. "Now let's enjoy your boiler room."

She smiled and followed him down the stairs, going to grab a table while he went to the bar.

"Bartender seemed chatty," he said as Skye approached him. He knew there was a hint of jealousy in his voice even though he knew there was nothing to worry about.

"He's in computer sciences. It didn't take long to convince him I'm a level seven CS operative. And guess where I'm stationed?" she said turning her head to look at him. "The Sandbox."

"Good thinking."

"I asked if any of the cadets had hopes on getting assigned there. Behind me the curls," she said indicating with her head. Ward glanced in the girl's direction then looked back at Skye. "Callie Hannigan: ambitious, gunned hard for getting assigned to the Sandbox. And apparently word's gotten around that she's lost the top spot."

"She was at the pool," Ward said.

"But didn't want to go in," Skye replied.

He gave her a smile and nodded. "Good work," he said softly. He went to walk past her but was stopped by her hand on his forearm.

"You know you never have anything to worry about right?" she said quietly.

He studied her for a few minutes, not even pretending to not understand. "I do," he agreed. "Doesn't mean I like watching other guys virtually drool over you though."

"Back atcha robot," she said with a grin before heading over to join Simmons.

He watched her go with a smile before shaking his head and walking over to where Callie Hannigan was playing pool.

* * *

Ward followed Skye as she walked back to The Wall of Valor at SciTech after they had completed the investigation into the freezing device. She hadn't told him why she wanted to come back here, just that she did and he had easily accepted that. She agreed with Coulson that they had to keep the truth about her origins a secret for everyone's safety but she had requested to be able to tell Ward because they had agreed no secrets and Coulson said that was fine. So she would tell him the whole story later, but for now she just needed his support and he was more than happy to give that.

She approached the wall and found Agent Avery's name, thinking how grateful she was that this brave woman had protected her when she was just a baby and how sad it was that she would never get to thank her. She could feel Ward's solid presence behind her and his gaze watching her carefully. She took a moment to silently thank the agents who had died so she could live and then turned back to Ward.

"Let's go home," she said.

He smiled at her and nodded and they walked out together, heading back to the only real home either of them had ever had.

* * *

Lying in Ward's bed later that night watching a movie Skye turned to Ward. "I need to tell you, what Coulson found out about me," she said hesitantly. She had been putting it off; worried that he would change his mind about her when he found out the truth. She was an 084 and they didn't really know what that meant, but she knew she needed to tell him. She just hoped it didn't drive him away.

"You can tell me anything baby," he encouraged, seeing her worry. He reached down and entwined his fingers with hers. "I'm right here, always."

She braced herself for the worst possible outcome and then told him all of what Coulson had told her. He listened quietly as she spoke, not interrupting and keeping a tight hold on her hand.

"So we don't really know what I am," she finished.

"Well that's just silly," he said softly. "I know exactly that. You're Skye. You're brilliant and beautiful, sarcastic and fun. You tell terrible jokes when you're uncomfortable and sometimes don't know when to shut up. You're compassionate and kind and good, even to people who don't deserve it. You're strong and brave and one of the best people I know. You're the most important part of my world," he continued in a firm but still quiet voice, looking straight into her eyes. "I know exactly who you are."

She had tears in her eyes by the time he finished. He was so sincere and she knew he truly meant everything he said. "You're the most important part of my world too," she said quietly before leaning in to kiss him.

He kissed her back tenderly. As he comforted her he realised exactly what he felt for her. He had fallen completely in love with her. A part of him wanted to tell her, but he didn't think he was quite ready yet. He had never felt this way about anyone and he needed to do this right. She pulled back from his lips and rested her head on his chest.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I'm so glad you're here Grant."

"Me too," he whispered back.

They both settled more comfortably into the bed, quickly drifting off to sleep after the emotional drain of the day. _I'll tell her soon_, was his last thought before his mind shut down.


	35. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

"Baby you need to come to bed," Ward said quietly from where he was watching Skye.

Ever since Coulson had told her the truth about her origins she had been more driven and focused than he had ever seen her. She was particularly determined to catch Ian Quinn and spent hours and hours every day on her computer trying to track him down. It was now after three in the morning and she had been working since early that afternoon. He had tried several times to get her to take a break with no luck but he was determined this time. She needed sleep.

"I'll be there soon," she said without looking at him.

"You said that an hour and a half ago," he replied moving closer to her.

"Yeah but I think I'm close to something here," she responded still not looking up.

"It'll still be there in the morning. You need to sleep," he said softly reaching out to squeeze her shoulder.

"I'm fine. I just have to follow this through," she said, moving away from his hand.

"Please come to bed," he implored her.

"I'll go to bed when I'm done," she said dismissively.

"Skye-"

"Ward I need to concentrate so just go to bed. I will be in when I'm done," she snapped.

He looked at her for a few more minutes while she ignored him before he responded. "Okay," he said quietly leaving the room.

He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep now so he changed into some workout clothes and headed down to the cargo bay. He wrapped his hands and put his headphones in and started working with the punching bag. He knew she was just focused on what she was doing but it still hurt that she kept blowing him off. He was just trying to look out for her; to make sure she was taking care of herself. He worked out until his arms ached and then decided to go have a shower, hoping it would be enough to help him sleep.

After his shower he passed by the control room where he had left Skye earlier and saw that she was still in there. He checked his watch and noted it was now after five and thought about trying to get her to go to bed again but knew she wouldn't so decided to just leave her to it. He didn't think he could deal with being snapped at again just for caring. He stood watching her for a few minutes before shaking his head and heading for his bunk. He lay there staring at the ceiling for quite a while, before starting to hear movement signalling that the rest of the team were starting their days. He thought about getting up and joining them but ultimately decided against it. He finally fell into a fitful sleep just before seven.

* * *

Simmons and Fitz were in the kitchen making lunch when Skye emerged from the control room for the first time the next day.

"Hey guys," Skye greeted as she headed towards the fridge. "What're you two up to?"

"Just grabbing some sandwiches," Fitz answered. "Would you like one?"

"Oh that would be great," Skye replied with a grin. "I feel like I haven't eaten in forever!"

"Well you did skip breakfast," Simmons said quietly. "And possibly dinner as well."

"I had a snack around midnight," Skye said, knowing Simmons would be angry if she thought it had been a full day since she had eaten anything. And Ward had brought her a snack around midnight, after she refused to take a break. Thinking of Ward she looked around, expecting him to be with the scientists. "Hey have you guys seen Ward?" she asked as Fitz set a sandwich in front of her.

The two scientists shared a look before turning back to the hacker. Ward had gotten up much later than usual, coming down to the lab around ten that morning and looking like he had barely slept. When they had questioned him about it he just said he hadn't slept well. He sat with them for a while, watching them work but not contributing at all to the conversation, before he said he was going to work out for a while. That was nearing two hours ago and when they asked him if he wanted to have lunch with them he had smiled a little sadly and said he was fine before resuming his workout. Something was obviously bothering the specialist and it hadn't been hard to guess what when they had realised Skye had pulled an all nighter again trying to find Quinn.

"He's downstairs working out," Fitz responded to Skye's question, choosing not to offer any more information than that.

Skye looked at the clock on the wall before looking back to the scientists. "He usually works out a lot earlier than this. And it's not like him to skip lunch." Fitz and Simmons looked at each other again before turning back to Skye and simultaneously shrugging. "What's with the looks guys? What's going on?"

"Nothing," Simmons answered taking her plate to the sink to rinse it. "I have to get back down to the lab." She walked out without waiting for a reply.

"You gonna give me more than 'nothing'?" Skye asked Fitz.

He looked at her for a moment then shook his head. "I need to get back to the lab too." With that he turned and followed after Simmons.

"That was weird," she said to herself, finishing her sandwich.

"What was weird?" Coulson asked, having entered the kitchen as she spoke.

"Just Fitz and Simmons," she replied. "I asked them if they'd seen Ward and they said he was downstairs working out and when I commented that he usually works out earlier than this they gave each other this weird look then both made hasty exits. It was weird."

"Well Ward got up late today, it was around ten before he left his bunk, so that's probably why he's working out later than usual. And Fitz and Simmons, well you know how protective they are over Ward. They're probably just concerned about him because he didn't sleep well," Coulson replied easily. He knew the reason Ward hadn't slept well and it was currently in the kitchen with him, but he didn't think it was his place to tell her, and assumed FitzSimmons had felt the same way.

"What do you mean he didn't sleep well? I thought you said he didn't get up until ten?" Skye asked confused. She felt like she was missing something here and she didn't like it.

"Maybe you should ask him," Coulson suggested.

"I need to get back to the control room. I'm almost there on this Quinn thing, I can feel it. I'll just talk to Ward later," she said as she stood up to leave the kitchen.

"You know you can take a break right?" he asked her before she could leave the room.

"What?" she asked turning back towards him.

"You've been working hard, and that's not a bad thing. But there's nothing wrong with taking a break. Maybe getting some sleep. Don't think that I don't know that you didn't sleep last night," he said seriously.

"I'm fine AC," she said easily. "I just wanna find this guy."

"So do I. But I want you to take care of yourself too."

"I am taking care of myself, I promise," she replied before turning and leaving the room.

He watched her go, hoping she would decide to take a break. Because running herself into the ground wouldn't help anyone.

* * *

"I think the bag has had enough," Simmons said as she approached Ward where he was still hitting the punching bag. It had been going on for more than two hours now and she had decided that enough was enough.

"I'll be done soon," he replied without letting up on his hits.

She knew nothing she said would get him to stop so she did the only thing that she knew would and stepped up close enough that if he kept hitting the bag he risked hurting her.

"Please stop," she said quietly.

He looked up at the pleading tone in her voice. "What's up baby sis?" he asked.

"I'm worried about you. The last time you worked out like this was when you touched the Berserker Staff. And I know this isn't that because you don't seem angry," she replied.

"I'm not angry, just a little bored. You and Fitz are busy with your science stuff and Skye's," he stopped to clear his throat. "Skye's busy. So I thought I would stay out of everyone's way." He offered her a smile but she easily noticed that it didn't reach his eyes.

"You're not in our way Grant," she said softly. "Fitz and I like when you spend time in the lab with us. And," she hesitated before adding the next bit. "Skye asked us where you were at lunch. I'm sure she doesn't think you're in her way either."

"Hmm. I don't want to interrupt her," he said. "It's fine though. I might just go grab a shower and then read for a little while." He turned to head for the stairs.

"Make sure you eat something," she called after him. She wanted to ask him why he thought Skye wouldn't want him there but decided not to push. He knew he could talk to her about what was bothering him and he would when he was ready.

"I'm not hungry," he called back.

"Eat anyway!" she said just as he went through the door at the top of the stairs, receiving a brief wave to acknowledge he'd heard.

* * *

After showering Ward headed to the kitchen to get something to eat, knowing that if Simmons found out he hadn't eaten she would probably yell at him and she was pretty fierce for someone so small. Coulson was sitting at the counter reading through some notes and nodded in acknowledgement when he walked in.

Ward was just taking a drink from the water bottle he pulled out of the fridge when Coulson spoke, causing him to spit the water out everywhere.

"May told me about the sex."

He turned to face the team leader, wiping his mouth off on the back of his hand. "What?"

Coulson was smirking at him, pleased that he managed to catch the specialist off guard. It didn't happen often. "Yeah when we were in Mexico City she decided it was the time to come clean. Just popped it right into the middle of a conversation," Coulson said, Ward finally catching on to what he was talking about.

"Ah I'm with you now. Is this you letting me know as the guy who already knew or as the guy who was told in Mexico City?" Ward asked, wanting to clarify if he should know Coulson knew as just him or as Garrett's him too. "This whole who knows what as who thing sometimes gets a little confusing," Ward added with a frown.

Coulson chuckled at Ward's statement, but he definitely agreed. "This is the me who already knew telling the you who knew I would be told. The me that found out in Mexico City won't mention it to the you who doesn't know I know unless you bring it up."

Ward took a minute to process that sentence before nodding. "Sounds fair."

"You okay Ward?" Coulson asked.

"Just worried about Skye," Ward replied truthfully. "She's pushing herself too hard, and barely eating or sleeping."

"I noticed that too. I told her when I saw her in here a little while ago that she should take a break but she says she's almost got something."

"Hmm."

Ward wanted to say that she had been saying that since midnight and that taking a couple of hours to sleep wouldn't hurt anything but decided against it. He figured Skye would take a break when she was ready and there was nothing any of them could do to force her. She was far too stubborn for that.

"Guys I've got something!" Skye's voice suddenly came from the control room.

Coulson pretended not to hear Ward mutter beside him as Skye came into the room.

"Looks like not bothering to take care of herself worked out after all."


	36. Chapter 35

**Author's note**

Some lines are taken from episode 13 'T.R.A.C.K.S.'

**Chapter 35**

Skye explained what she had found to Coulson while Ward went to get FitzSimmons from the lab and May from the cockpit, before they all met up in the control room. Coulson and Skye were the last to enter.

"Ian Quinn," Coulson said as he walked in.

"You found him?" May asked.

"No, but we think we know how we can," he said.

He and Skye told the rest of the team what she had found about an expensive package Quinn had purchased being transported by a company called Cybertek and that they believed the package was going to him.

"If everything goes as planned," Coulson finished their explanation. "Cybertek's security team won't even know we were on the train."

"So we're going in undercover," Ward surmised.

"I hate undercover," May grumbled.

Coulson explained the roles of the team and they went through the plan.

"So we have a few hours before we have to leave to get on the train," he finished. Everyone agreed to be ready to go and May and Coulson left the room.

"Well I don't know about you guys but I'm gonna grab a nap before we go," Skye said with a yawn. "Come be my pillow robot?" she asked turning and moving closer to Ward.

"I'm actually going to go grab something to eat and then go over the plan again," he said quietly before leaving the room.

Skye stared after him in shock. That was definitely not like him. Usually he took any excuse he could to just lay in bed with her.

"That was weird," she said turning to look at the scientists who were both actively trying to avoid looking at her. "Okay, that's it. What do you two know" she demanded.

Simmons decided the only way this would be resolved would be to clue Skye in since she seemed to have no idea what was going on with Ward.

"You've been pretty busy the past few days, trying to locate Quinn-"

"Yeah, and it paid off because hey look, we've found a way to get to him," Skye interrupted.

"And you've been neglecting taking care of yourself," Simmons continued as if Skye hadn't spoken. "You haven't slept in nearing two days and the only time you've eaten is when someone's forced you to. He's been trying to take care of you and you've been blowing him off and snapping at him," she finished firmly.

Skye stared at Simmons in shock, before turning to Fitz who just nodded in agreement. She hadn't realised that she had been treating Ward like that. She had just been so determined to find something. But now thinking about it she could recall him asking her to take breaks and her basically ignoring him. And in the early hours of that morning he had basically begged her to come to bed and she had pretty much dismissed him.

"I didn't realise," she said quietly. "I was so focused on finding Quinn, I just.." she trailed off.

"You should probably go talk to him," Fitz said quietly.

She nodded and headed in the same direction Ward had gone, determined to make this right. She knew that she had probably hurt him and that was the last thing she wanted to do. She walked into the kitchen to find him standing at the counter staring off into space, an untouched sandwich in front of him.

"Hey," she said quietly as she approached him.

He visibly startled and turned his head to look at her. "I thought you were going to have a nap," he said softly.

She stepped up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head between his shoulder blades. She felt him tense when she first touched him which he hadn't done with her in a long time but he relaxed again quickly. "I'd rather rest right here with you than take a nap alone in my bunk," she whispered into his back.

"It's been too long since you slept. Please go and lay down. You need to rest properly," he said turning in her arms so her head was now on his chest.

"Only if you come with me," she replied.

He gave in easily, willing to give her whatever she wanted if it meant she would rest. He grabbed his sandwich off the counter and guided her towards her bunk. They got comfortable on her bed, him sitting against the wall so he could eat and her curled around his leg with her head resting on his thigh.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"For what?" he asked quietly.

"For the past few days. You were trying to take care of me and I haven't been being very nice to you," she continued at the same volume.

"I was just worried about you. Not eating, not sleeping, those aren't good things. And if anything happened to you, I don't know if I could handle it."

She looked up at him. "Lucky I have you to protect me then," she said with a small smile.

"Got to sleep baby, you need the rest," he said with a kiss to her forehead. "I'll wake you up when it's time to get ready."

"Just don't leave me okay?" she mumbled as she snuggled in to his thigh.

"Never."

* * *

"Once I've located the package, I'll let you know where to place the tracker," May told Ward as she prepared to climb out the window to the top of the train.

"Yeah," Ward said quietly in reply causing her to turn and look at him, raising an eyebrow. He noticed her expression but just shook his head. "I just want to find him and for this to be done."

"You're worried about Skye," she surmised. Ward wasn't usually like this on missions and it was easy to pinpoint why.

"She's been different since SciTech," he answered.

"How so?" May asked.

"Driven, focused. She was holed up for days trying to locate Quinn. And I get it, I do. Coulson was put through hell. But her running herself into the ground doesn't help anyone."

"I'm assuming she told you what we found out?" May asked.

"Yeah. Like I said, I do get it, why this is so personal. But I can't help but worry anyway. Especially because this is personal. We both know how personal urges can adversely affect tactical decisions," he replied.

"Hmm. That's why I don't have them. You should do the same."

He looked at her and shook his head. "Think that's an acceptable excuse to the higher ups?"

"Coulson took it okay when I told him about us," May replied.

This wasn't new information to him and he suspected she knew that but he knew he had to act like it was.

"Wait. You told him?!" he asked.

"Yep," she grinned as she climbed out the window, leaving him chuckling to himself.

* * *

After trying and failing to use the holotable – and seriously how many times had he watched FitzSimmons do that it really shouldn't have been that hard – Ward and Coulson agreed the best course of action was to upload it to HQ and let them figure out what it was.

"Uh sir," Ward called as Coulson went to walk away. He figured if what was going on between he and May was real and she had told him she told Coulson he would mention it, so he went with that though. "This probably isn't the best time, but what May told you, I would have preferred it stayed between me and her."

Coulson smirked at him before straightening his face into a stern look and Ward just knew this wouldn't be pleasant. "Well 'it' is happening on my bus, amongst members of my team. You know it's against protocol, so if you endanger an operation or someone else gets hurt, I'll reassign you to Barrow, Alaska where you will spend the rest of your years pulling the night shift guarding Blonsky's cryo-cell," Coulson stopped to look at Ward who seemed to be having a hard time keeping a straight face. He couldn't blame him; he was struggling to keep the stern expression up too. "Am I clear?"

"Yes sir," Ward replied.

The two of them looked at each other for a few beats before they both laughed.

"That was actually pretty fun," Coulson said.

Just then Russo from the Italian police walked in, reassuring them, before having a knife thrown at him by May from behind.

"Wheels up in five," she said angrily.

"You okay?" Ward asked. "You were on the train when it disappeared."

"May, Russo was – Explain yourself, please," Coulson called after her as she headed into the plane.

"The train didn't disappear, Russo sold us out. Get the plane ready, I need a shower," she replied.

"I'll get the plane ready," Ward said to Coulson and headed for the stairs. "Maybe let Coulson stitch you up," he said to May as he passed her.

* * *

Fitz was under the last car outside Quinn's compound when he heard a window break and a body landed dead on the ground beside him.

"Skye," he said to himself getting out from under the car and moving towards the house.

One of Quinn's men stepped out and went to shoot him, but was shot from the side by Ward as he, Coulson, Simmons and May approached.

"Where's Skye?" Coulson asked.

"Sh-sh-she didn't want to let Quinn get away," he stuttered, pointing towards the house.

Coulson turned towards Ward who was nodding and already turning to run for the back of the house. Ward reached the back of the house and didn't hesitate to kick the door open, walking in with a night night pistol in each hand and not even thinking before shooting every man there, with the exception of Quinn.

Quinn went to run but was stopped by Coulson pointing a gun at him. Ward approached the two and grabbed Quinn, slamming him into a nearby table and pointing one of his night night pistols at him.

"Where's Skye?" Coulson demanded, noticing a spray of blood on Quinn's hand.

Ward noticed the blood at the same time and hauled Quinn back up, holding him in place while Coulson placed a gun under his chin.

"You know, Agent Coulson," Quinn began. "It's dangerous to keep sending her in like that, all alone, when she means so much to you."

Coulson back-handed Quinn and Ward unceremoniously dropped him to the ground.

"Search the house," Coulson commanded. "Find her, now!"

May stayed to secure Quinn, while the rest of the team split up to search for Skye.

Ward opened a door and looked to the side, seeing Skye slumped on the ground, unconscious and in a pool of blood.

"Oh god. No, no no," he mumbled to himself, kneeling down and reaching for her. "Jemma!" he shouted as loud as he could, while checking for a pulse. "Hang on Skye, please hang on. Just stay with me," he whispered to her.

Simmons entered the room then, followed quickly by Fitz, Coulson and May, all of whom had heard him call out and knew something was very, very wrong.

"She's been shot," he said to Simmons.

"Oh god, okay. Keep her upright," Simmons instructed as she knelt down to inspect Skye.

"There's no pulse," Ward continued, panicked.

"Uh she's lost too much blood," Simmons said looking around for something to help. "Wait, put her in there," she demanded, pointing to the hyperbaric chamber.

Ward didn't hesitate to follow her instructions. He didn't know what it did, but if Simmons thought it would help then he would do whatever she said. Coulson, Fitz and May moved to help him lift Skye without moving her too much.

"Do you even know what that thing is?" Coulson asked.

"It's a hyperbaric chamber and we need to get her in there, now!" Simmons answered sharply. Simmons and Fitz adjusted the controls on the chamber to lower the temperature and stabilise the pressure. "It's working for now," Simmons said quietly. "We need to get her on the bus and to a medical facility, fast."

They moved quickly then, getting her loaded on the bus, May going straight to the cockpit to get the plane in the air and co-ordinates set for the nearest medical facility, which was just under two hours away. Simmons said she would do everything she could to keep her alive until they got there and then excused herself, Fitz following her to comfort her. Ward walked out of the lab where Skye was and punched the hood of the van in front of him.

"It's not your fault," May said quietly but firmly coming up beside him.

"She never should have gone in there alone," he said brokenly.

"Blaming yourself won't help her."

"I know," he answered before heading back into the lab. He stood on the other side of the hyperbaric chamber to Coulson and looked at the older man. Coulson looked up and met his eyes. "We have to save her," Ward said firmly.

Coulson nodded and the two men looked back down at the girl they both loved, in different ways. They both knew that they would do whatever it took to save her.


	37. Chapter 36

**Author's note**

Some lines are taken from episode 14 'T.A.H.I.T.I.'

**Chapter 36**

The team were escorted to a waiting room in the SHIELD trauma facility in Zurich. Coulson was on his phone immediately, trying to get hold of Fury to get some answers about how he was saved, while May stood by alternating between watching him and the other three members of the team. Simmons and Fitz had dragged a clearly distraught Ward onto a two seater couch and then squashed in on either side of him, both leaning in to try and offer him comfort.

"Why didn't I stop her? I could have," Fitz said quietly.

"As if you could stop Skye doing anything she set her mind to," Simmons replied.

"I shouldn't have let her go after Quinn by herself. What was I thinking?"

"Hey it's not your fault," Ward said softly. "She shouldn't have been there. I should have protected her better. It's on me."

Simmons leaned further into him then, wrapping an arm around his waist. She went to speak but May beat her too it.

"The one to blame is the man who shot her, Ian Quinn. He's responsible," she said firmly.

They all turned to Coulson when he slammed his phone down on a nearby table.

"Phil," May started, but Coulson just shook his head.

He sat down in the single seater chair near Fitz. "We'll save her," he said firmly, locking eyes with Ward.

"Whatever it takes," Ward agreed before the whole team fell into silence.

* * *

A few hours, that felt more like days to the team, later found them all in pretty much the same position. Simmons' head rested on Ward's shoulder while she did something on a tablet, while Fitz rested his head back against the couch, still pressed into Ward's side. Ward and Coulson both sipped on coffees a kind nurse had brought them quietly, while May sat in the single seater by Simmons keeping an eye on both the door and the team.

The doctor walked in the door then, gaining everyone's attention and making them all rise from their seats.

"How is she?" Coulson asked as he stood in front of the doctor.

"Not good," the doctor replied. "The shots perforated her stomach and penetrated both her large and small intestines. We resected what we could but," she paused and took a breath before continuing. "There was too much damage."

"So what's next?" Coulson asked.

"We can keep her comfortable, but you'll need to make a decision on whether or not you want to keep her on life support."

"No," Ward said softly. He didn't know how to deal with what he was hearing. SHIELD was meant to have the best people in the world, how could they not be able to save her. "That's not acceptable," he said loudly, startling everyone. The doctor, who had been in the process of telling Coulson that he should call Skye's family, stopped speaking as they all turned to look at him. "We're her family," he said firmly. "And we are not just going to let her die. If you can't help her then we will find someone who can," he continued, looking at Coulson.

Coulson nodded at him. "And I know where we'll start looking." He turned back to the doctor. "Can you please get Skye prepared for transport?"

The doctor hesitated before agreeing. "She's stable enough to transport, but she will need to be monitored constantly."

"I can do it," Simmons said easily. The doctor nodded and then excused herself.

"Where are we taking her?" Fitz asked.

"I'll explain once we're back on the bus," Coulson answered, turning to speak to May who was no longer there. "Where did May go?" he asked the team.

They all looked at each other before Ward answered. "If I had to take a guess I would say the interrogation room on the bus." FitzSimmons and Coulson all looked at him questioningly so he expanded on the statement. "It's where I want to be right now, but I don't currently have enough control to stop myself from killing him."

It only took a few seconds for Coulson to realise what he was saying. "I don't think she does either," he said and hurried out of the room.

Ward turned to FitzSimmons. "Get back to the bus and ready to go," he said, before hurrying after Coulson. He would for her to kill Quinn but they needed her with them right now, not in trouble and detained by SHIELD.

* * *

"HQ radioed in," Ward said approaching Coulson where he stood outside the med pod Skye was in. "They've ordered us to hand over Quinn for interrogation and transport to the Fridge." Coulson looked at him. "There's no chance he's getting off this plane," Ward continued.

"Agreed," Coulson said. "He stays in our custody until I say otherwise."

"So we're heading to Bethesda?" Ward asked.

"It's where my file says I was treated after New York," Coulson said.

"Okay," Ward agreed easily. Coulson had already told him the truth about what happened to him and if there was a chance this would help Skye he would take it.

"I need to give my file to FitzSimmons, I'm sure they will understand a lot more of it than I do." He went to walk away then turned back to the younger agent. "Can you check on May for me please? I know she's strong but-"

"Of course," Ward interrupted. "She cares too."

Ward headed to the cockpit and joined May.

"It hurt much?" he asked indicating the hand she had used to beat Quinn.

"I'm fine."

He looked at her carefully before nodding. "I just saw Skye in the med pod. Machines filtering her blood, breathing for her."

"Would you make this play?" May asked curiously. She wasn't sure she would, but she knew Coulson was different. "I know why Coulson is. If there's a chance in a million to save her, save any of us, he'll take it. But would you?"

"Yes," he answered, no hesitation.

"For anyone? Or just for her?" she asked.

This time there was a slight hesitation. "For anyone on this team, I would do as much as was humanly possible," he paused and took a breath. "But for her? For her I would do much, much more. I'd do whatever it took, no matter the cost."

She looked at him for a moment then nodded. "This is the only play we have anyway. And it makes a lot more sense than the alternative."

"You mean giving up?" he asked.

"Or killing the man responsible."

"You showed more restraint than I would have. But I did enjoy seeing you beat him. You don't open the blinds like that very often."

"She matters to me too," May said simply. She went to continue but was interrupted by the radio.

"SHIELD 616, this is tower Michael Tango. You are in violation of SHIELD directive 1297. Respond immediately."

"Disobeying a direct order," Ward said. "We didn't hand Quinn over for interrogation."

"Great," May said sarcastically. They both noticed the F-35s flying up to flank them. May flipping her headset on for the radio. "This is SHIELD 616. How do we proceed?"

"Prepare to be boarded and relinquish command," came from the radio.

"I'll let Coulson know," Ward said getting up and leaving the cockpit.

* * *

"I'll await your orders sir," Ward said to Coulson as he headed up to meet whoever was docking.

"No one-" Coulson started but was interrupted.

"Gets near Quinn. Or Skye."

"Exactly," Coulson said as he went up the stairs.

Ward waited near the bar, where no one could get down the stairs without him noticing. It didn't take long before he saw a familiar face approaching. Damn, if Trip was here that meant Garrett was too. That meant he was going to have to stay away from Skye to hide his feelings and make sure he kept his cover in tact.

"Agent Grant Ward," Trip said, putting out his hand as he approached.

"Trip," Ward said with a friendly smile. He had no problems with Trip, he knew the other man was clean. "Is Garrett upstairs?" he asked, hoping the answer was no but knowing that was unlikely.

"Yeah," Trip said easily. "You know he still talks about that thousand yard shot you took in Bandung?"

"It was two thousand," Ward replied with a smirk. "So what're you doing here?" he asked crossing his arms.

"Man this is like the playboy jet," Trip said looking around. "I mean, a guy could get soft bunking in a place like this." He shot Ward a smirk, which he returned. "How did Coulson swing such a sweet ride?"

"He died," Ward said blandly.

"That's tight," Trip said getting serious. "You wanna point me to the box you keeping Quinn? HQ ordered Garrett to haul his ass to the Fridge for questioning." He looked around a bit more. "Is that a floor bar?" he asked admiringly.

"You're welcome to it," Ward replied easily. "But, uh, Quinn stays put until Coulson says otherwise."

"Come on man," Trip said. "Garrett was your SO too, so you know how this works."

"Why don't you remind me?"

"Garrett wants Quinn. It's my job to make sure Garrett gets what he wants. Now where is he?"

"Can't help you with that," Ward said with a smirk.

"No worries. I'll find Quinn myself. I'm sure he's tucked between the Jacuzzi and the squash court." With that Trip went to move past Ward but he reached out and grabbed his arm.

Trip turned around and swung at Ward, but he managed to deflect it and easily get the upper hand, landing a few hits on the other specialist. He was about to hit him again when Coulson called out.

"Agent Ward, stand down!"

Ward stepped back from Trip as Coulson and Garrett approached. As Coulson explained the deal with HQ Ward made sure he had himself under control to face Garrett and respond in exactly the way that was expected of him.

"You wouldn't believe what I could talk this son of a gun into," Garrett said while smiling at him. "Good seeing you son."

"You too sir," Ward replied, reaching out to shake his hand, with a grin on his face. "And thank you."

"Saving the girl is top priority," Garret responded. "And she might know something."

Garrett and Coulson headed towards the interrogation room and Ward turned back to Trip. "Sorry about that," he said with a shrug.

"No worries," Trip replied easily. "You're protecting your team. The stories about you are not exaggerated."

"And I was pulling my punches," Ward smirked and walked away, heading down to check on Skye while Garrett was busy and wouldn't notice.

* * *

"So he says he did it because this clairvoyant told him to," Garrett said.

He and Coulson were telling Ward and Trip what they had found out in the interrogation with Quinn. Ward's head snapped up at that sentence. It was the first time Garrett had said 'clairvoyant' and the reason the term had sounded so familiar finally clicked into place for him. Luckily no one noticed his sudden movement and he was able clear any expression from his face before anyone looked at him. He needed to talk to Coulson; he needed to tell him what he had just realised. How could he not have figured it out sooner? It was so obvious now. The one thing the Clairvoyant seemed to want above all else was the answer to what saved Coulson and that was the reason Garrett wanted him on this team. If only he had figured it out sooner, maybe he could have prevented Skye from being shot. Because the Clairvoyant they were chasing was standing on their bus right now offering to help and they were accepting, giving him exactly what he wanted.


	38. Chapter 37

**Author's note**

Some lines are taken from episode 14 'T.A.H.I.T.I.'

**Chapter 37**

"I need a favour," Ward said slipping into the co-pilot's seat beside May. He'd managed to get away, leaving Garrett talking with Coulson and Trip and he knew he would need May's help to get a few minutes alone with Coulson to tell him what he'd figured out.

"What do you need?" she asked, sensing the tension coming from him.

"Can you distract Garrett for about twenty minutes? Keep him away from Coulson's office?" he asked.

"Why?"

"Because it finally clicked in my head why the name 'The Clairvoyant' sounded so familiar," he said quietly.

Her head snapped around to look at him. "You mean..?"

"Yes," he answered her unspoken question. "And I need to tell Coulson with no chance of being overheard, and without any suspicion of why we are having a secret conversation in his office."

"He likes to tell stories right?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"I'll try and give you about half an hour, but finish as quick as you can," she offered, checking the controls to make sure everything was set for autopilot and then climbing out of her seat. "Where is he?"

"Control room, with Trip and Coulson," he answered.

"I'll tell Coulson Simmons wants to speak with him and you can intercept him."

"Thanks," he said as they parted at the cockpit door.

He headed around the back and down to the lab, avoiding the control room. He passed by Skye's med pod and stopped for a minute to look at her. "I promise, I'll do a better job protecting you from now on," he whispered before continuing on. He slipped past Fitz and Simmons without being seen, catching Coulson just before he entered the lab. "We need to talk in your office," he said quietly.

Coulson looked at him and then nodded, turning and heading back up the stairs. They made it to his office without being spotted, hearing Garrett telling one of his stories and May and Trip commenting as they passed. Coulson shut the door before turning to the younger man.

"What's up?"

"I figured out why the name 'The Clairvoyant' sounded so familiar."

"How?" Coulson asked.

"As soon as I heard Garrett say it I knew," Ward started. "It was an old nick name; one I don't think was ever used in SHIELD and only known by select few of his Hydra trainees. It started as a running joke, because he always seemed to know everything his trainees were doing. I haven't heard it in years; didn't think it was still used. I could be wrong, but it all makes sense. Everything the Clairvoyant has done-"

"Has been done with the purpose of finding out what happened to me," Coulson finished for him. "When we were interrogating Quinn, Garrett said it himself. Shooting Skye forces me to either figure out what happened, giving the Clairvoyant what he wants, or let her die."

"Exactly."

"Wouldn't it be a bit risky though, using a name that someone might recognise?" Coulson asked.

"It was only ever used amongst Hydra's ranks, and anyone in SHIELD would just shrug it off as a coincidence. Before I told you, would you have thought anything of it or suspected Garrett?"

"No, I wouldn't. We were rookies together, I would have just assumed it was a coincidence," Coulson agreed. "Why wouldn't he have told you?"

"I don't really know. We are meant to be near zero contact, so I haven't spoken to him since I told him about May and I and he said then he wouldn't contact me unless it was absolutely necessary, and obviously he hasn't found it necessary," Ward replied. He honestly wasn't sure why Garrett wouldn't have told him about being the Clairvoyant.

"He might have also wanted to be sure we had no reason to doubt your reactions," Coulson said. "Even with May distracted, she could have picked up on it if your reactions weren't real. Especially to Skye being shot."

"That's true too," Ward said. "I promise sir, I didn't know. God I wish I had. Then maybe we could have stopped this from happening to Skye, and what happened to you. This is all my fault. I should have realised, should have prevented it."

"This is not your fault, Grant," Coulson said firmly. "This is all on him. I know that you didn't know, because there is no doubt in my mind that if you had known you would have stopped her from walking into that building."

"I wouldn't have let her go in there if I'd known. I would have done whatever it took to stop her," Ward said quietly. "Because I can't live without her."

"I know," Coulson said softly. "And you won't have to. I don't know how, but somehow we are going to save her."

"We need to get back out there before he notices we're missing," Ward said.

"Agreed. May will only be able to keep him occupied so long, which I'm guessing was intentional?"

"I needed a distraction to make sure we weren't interrupted, I told her I had figured it out and she agreed."

"Between the three of us we will have to make sure we keep him in sight at all times."

"Agreed."

The two men headed for the door, but Coulson stopped before he opened it. "What about Trip?" he asked.

"He's clean," Ward said instantly. "Definitely not a part of Hydra."

"Okay good. Makes it easier if we only need to keep eyes on one person."

They were about to enter the control room when Simmons came running up.

"We've found something!"

* * *

"The Guest House is not a SHIELD facility. We don't know who or what's in there. So be prepared for potential resistance," Coulson said as he, Garrett and Ward prepared in the cargo hold.

"No contact from inside?" Garrett asked.

"I've tried every known channel, no response," May answered.

"The place could be abandoned," Ward offered, successfully keeping the fear out of his voice for Garrett's benefit.

"Let's hope not," Coulson said. "We need the people inside to work on Skye."

He knew what it was costing Ward to keep up his cover and hide his fears for

Skye. After Simmons had explained what they'd found Ward had excused himself under the pretence of getting ready but Coulson had noticed that it took him a lot longer than usual to get changed. He and May had provided enough distraction for Garrett that he didn't notice how long Ward was gone, or that he had snuck down to see Skye again before they left. Coulson had found him down there and they had both agreed that although they couldn't stop Garrett from going into the Guest House they had to make sure to keep eyes on him and what he was doing.

"Simmons is prepping Skye to move on a moment's notice sir," Fitz said entering the cargo hold with a back pack.

"Trip can help, he's had med tech training," Garrett offered.

"Good," Coulson said. "We do our jobs right, this will all go peacefully."

"What if they don't want to help us?" Ward asked.

"I'll say pretty please," Garrett said with a smirk.

Coulson explained what they needed to do once they got inside and then they headed for the ramp. May inclined her head to Ward and he paused for a moment near her.

"Trip?" she asked quietly.

"He's clean," he answered softly. He went to walk away but hesitated. "May-"

"I'll protect her," she said, without needing him to ask the question. "I don't make promises I can't keep, and I am promising you that."

"Thank you," he said sincerely.

She nodded at him and he turned and jogged to catch up to the others. Coulson rang the bell, but when they were unable to provide the correct countersign they had no choice but to hack their way in. Fitz got the doors open and they worked their way into the elevator, then up onto its roof while the doors opened. Fitz used one of the bots to see what was happening outside the doors before they decided it was safe to drop down.

Ward dropped into the open elevator first, holding up his gun. "Clear," he called up to the others, moving to one side but keeping his gun trained across the antechamber.

Garrett dropped next, moving to the other side of the elevator doors with his gun up. Coulson dropped down and moved in behind Garrett, gun drawn and Fitz dropped down and moved behind Ward.

"Comms are down," the engineer said. "There's too much mountain on top of us."

"Trust me it's better," Garrett said. "You don't want them hearing the horrible death we're walking into." The older man turned to look at the slightly horrified expression on Fitz's face. "Humour son. You Brits are too serious. Besides, if the job was easy-"

"It wouldn't be any fun," Ward finished Garrett's favourite saying, earning himself a smile from his former SO which he managed to return.

"I'm not afraid," Fitz said walking straight out of the elevator. "Besides, I suspect the real danger won't be until we breach that bulletproof glass."

They breached the doors and Ward and Garrett managed to take out the two men defending the facility, Garrett killing one instantly and Ward severely injuring the other. Coulson and Garrett followed the blood trail and found him while Fitz worked on getting some lights on, Ward staying with him. Coulson questioned the man and found out there was no med staff on site before he died, saying something about a timer.

"We've got a problem," Ward called from the room they entered through. They jogged back towards him and Fitz. "Semtex. The whole place is rigged to blow," Ward said when they reached him.

"There's enough explosive to bring down the whole mountain on top of us," Fitz added.

"We've got less than ten minutes," Ward explained holding up a timer. "It's probably a failsafe. If the guards had eliminated us, they'd stop the timer."

"There's some kind of emergency override," Fitz said approaching. "Skye could probably get passed it, but I can't hack the panel which means were trapped in here."

"You're the guy who taught Ward how to disarm nuclear bombs," Coulson said to Garrett. "The two of you figure out a way to get us out of here, while Fitz and I find the drug."

Coulson looked at Ward who gave a near imperceptible nod and then he and Fitz left.

"I noticed you and May had a moment before you got off the plane, you aren't getting attached are you?" Garrett asked once they were out of earshot.

"Of course not," Ward replied with a scoff. He started pulling the timer apart carefully, while Garrett looked around the room. "The timer doesn't control the explosion," he called out a few minutes later. He'd made sure Garrett was in his line of sight the whole time, to ensure he didn't get his hands on anything. "It's just a clock. Detonator must be somewhere else."

"It's not in here, I would've found it," Garrett answered. "There's no time to search the whole compound." The two of them looked around.

"We could take some semtex," Ward started.

"And use it on the doors," Garrett finished for him.

Ward may not trust the man anymore, but they had worked together a long time; they knew how each other thought. Ward also knew that if there were two things the other man was good at it was explosives and getting out of tight situations. In this situation, he was a good person to have there to help.

"I'll go get Coulson and Fitz," Ward said and took off quickly. He didn't like the idea of leaving Garrett alone but in this situation there was no choice, and he thought it was safer leaving him here to set up the explosion than having him wandering around where the drugs were.

"We gotta go," he said, running into the room Coulson and Fitz were in. "We couldn't stop it and we've only got four minutes." He stopped and looked around. "There's semtex in here as well."

"Here it is, 325," Fitz said, drawing Ward's attention.

"Go, get it up to Simmons," Coulson said and Fitz left the room.

"Sir?" Ward asked before he followed.

"I'll be right behind you," Coulson responded. "Wait. Garrett?"

"Setting some semtex to blow the doors. Thought it was safer leaving him there than sending him to where the drugs are."

"Right. Go."

Ward looked at Coulson for a moment before leaving the room. He needed to get back to Garrett and Fitz; he just hoped Coulson was right behind him. He got back just as Garrett was finishing setting the semtex.

"Agent Ward would you do the honours?" the older agent asked.

"Thought you'd never ask," Ward replied, following them around the corner and shooting at the explosive, blowing the door. Garrett and Ward held it open to allow Fitz through, where he headed straight up to get the drug to Skye. "Coulson," Ward said looking back. "Go, get out," he said to Garrett. "Make sure she gets the drug, I'll get him."

Again, he took off before Garrett could argue. He found Coulson in a dazed state in a corridor, saying that they couldn't give the drug to Skye, but just grabbed him and ran. They got out and jumped onto the cargo ramp just as the explosion occurred.

They entered the med pod just after Simmons injected Skye, too late to stop it. It seemed to work for a moment and then her stats spiked.

"What's happening?" Coulson demanded.

"I don't know!" Simmons replied.

"Skye! Do something. We have to do something!" Ward said, unable to hide his fear, even with Garrett standing beside him.

"Wait, she's stabilising," Simmons said. They all watched as her stats levelled off.

"You did it," May whispered to Coulson. He looked at her for a moment before walking away. "Something happen down there?" she asked Ward and Garrett.

"I didn't see anything," Garrett replied. "Ward?"

Ward managed to tear his eyes away from Skye and locked eyes with May. "I'm not sure. He was fine and then he looked like he'd seen a ghost." He wanted to say more to May but knew he couldn't with Garrett standing there.

"Trip," Garrett called. "We've got to go, let's go get our prisoner."

After they were out of earshot Ward spoke quietly to May. "It's where he was treated and he saw something, but I don't know what, I didn't see it."

"I'll talk to him," she said.

"I'm going to go change," he replied. "By the time I'm done Garrett should be gone so-"

"This is where you'll be," she finished for him.

* * *

When Coulson made his way down to Skye's med pod later he found Ward sitting by her bed, one of her hands held up in both of his, with his head resting against them, turned so he could see her face. He watched for a few minutes but didn't want to disturb them, knowing it had had Ward on edge being unable to be with her while Garrett was around so he went to turn away.

"You can come in," Ward said softly without looking away from Skye's face.

"How did you-" Coulson started before cutting himself off. "Right. Amazing spatial awareness. How is she?" he asked as he moved to the other side of her bed.

"The same," Ward replied. "What did you see?" he asked finally looking away from Skye to meet Coulson's eyes.

Coulson thought about lying like he had with May, but decided instead to stall. "I'll tell you, when she wakes up and I can tell her," he said indicating Skye.

Ward just nodded and looked back down at Skye. Coulson picked up her other hand and they both sat there watching her, each hoping more than anything for her to just wake up.


	39. Chapter 38

**Author's note**

Some lines are taken from episode 15 'Yes Men'

**Chapter 38**

After cleaning up from the Guest House, the only time Ward had left Skye's side in the fifteen hours she was injected with the GH-325 was to go to the bathroom. And he had only done that once. So it was no surprise that he was by her side when she started to wake up. He was sitting beside her bed, holding one of her hands in both of his, watching her face while he spoke softly to her, when her fingers started to twitch. At first he thought maybe he had imagined it, but then her eyelids began fluttering and he knew he hadn't. He reached out and hit one of the buttons on the monitor for her stats, which would send an alert to Simmons in the lab to let her know she was needed.

Her eyes snapped open and she looked panicked as she looked around, before her gaze settled on him. "It's okay baby," he said quietly. "Just stay calm. Jemma will be here in a minute." He leaned forward to kiss her forehead, unable to contain his relief that she was awake.

"What's up?" Simmons asked walking into the med pod. It took her a moment to notice that Skye was awake but when she did she moved into action right away. "Let me check you out. We'll get that tube out. How long has she been awake?"

"I pressed the button as soon as she started to wake, so a few minutes," Ward replied.

"Okay, I need to examine her so if you want to wait outside," Simmons said.

Ward went to leave but was stopped by Skye's grip on his hand. He turned back to her and saw the pleading look in her eyes. "Can you examine her with me here?" he asked. If Skye wanted him to stay, he would stay, as long as it wouldn't interfere with Simmons' work.

Simmons had also caught the look on Skye's face so she conceded. "You can stay."

"Where will I be the least in your way?" he asked.

"Stay on that side of the bed, and up near her head," Simmons replied while starting her examination. She took out the breathing tube and got Ward to help Skye have small sips of water while she checked the wound site and took note of all Skye's stats. "Everything seems to be okay here, but I'm going to take some blood," she said once she was done. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Skye replied, her voice a little hoarse.

"Do you remember what happened?" Simmons asked.

"Quinn," Skye replied. "He shot me. Said the Clairvoyant ordered him to." She took another small sip of the water Ward was still holding for her. "And Mike was there."

"Mike Peterson?" Ward asked.

"Yeah. He uh, he said he had orders, but it wasn't me he was ordered to kill. And they gave him a leg, from the box from Cybertek," she replied.

"Okay I'm all done here," Simmons said. "You need to take it easy, you don't leave the bed. If you need something you let someone know. Understood?"

"Yup, no leaving the bed," Skye replied.

"Good. I will organise something light for you to eat in a little while but for now just continue to slowly sip the water." Simmons gave her a smile and then left the room.

She turned back to Ward as he moved from near her head back to the chair beside the bed. "Hey," she said quietly.

"Hey," he replied.

"You look like you haven't slept since the last time I saw you," she continued softly.

"I suppose I haven't. I didn't want to leave you, in case you needed me again and I wasn't there."

She studied him and recognised the guilt in his features, but knew telling him it wasn't his fault wouldn't work. "How about now that I'm awake you go grab something to eat," she offered.

"I'd rather stay with you," he replied with a small smile.

"Go eat, then come back to me," she said.

He studied her for a moment before conceding. As if he could deny her anything at the moment. "I'll be back soon."

"And I'll miss you while you're gone."

He kissed her temple gently before standing up. "Don't get in any trouble while I'm gone."

She just grinned at him which did nothing to reassure him.

* * *

About fifteen minutes after Ward left Skye decided she would try and get out of bed. Unfortunately Simmons caught her and reprimanded her for it.

"Still, I'm the most gratefulest-est patient alive," Skye said to her.

"That's not even a word," Simmons replied just as there was a knock at the door.

"Am I allowed to come back yet?" Ward asked with a small smile.

"You're not just allowed, it's encouraged," Skye replied. "As long as you aren't here to bust me out. The warden has extended house arrest," she continued in a fake British accent.

"Oh awful accent," Simmons muttered.

"Sorry, not busting you out. For someone so tiny, Jemma's pretty scary. Besides, if you don't do what she says how will you get better?" Ward replied.

Simmons gave her an 'I told you so' look before leaving the room, squeezing Ward's arm on the way past.

"I must look terrible," Skye moaned. "There's not even a mirror in here."

"I've seen worse," Ward replied, trying to comfort her.

"Wow," she replied, raising an eyebrow. "Thanks."

"No I mean you look better than when you were dying," he tried. But even as he said it he knew that hadn't come out the way he intended.

"Swinging and a-missing Ward," she said with a grin.

"It's just great to see you awake," he replied with a grin. "And better. I thought I had lost you, and I didn't know how to handle that. And I still think you're beautiful."

"You probably should have started with that," she said poking her tongue out at him. "I was so stupid to go in there alone."

"Hey, there's no point in doing that now. You were brave. And thanks to you every SHIELD agent in the country will now know Mike Peterson's alive," he said comfortingly.

"You tell them about his magic leg?"

"Well I didn't call it that, but yes," he said with a grin.

"He wouldn't even look at me," she said quietly. "They did something to him. He needs help."

"He's past help," Ward said firmly. "He was there with you Skye, could have protected you. He let this happen to you. I can never forgive that."

"Well I need to better protect myself. So when Simmons gives the all clear we'll start training?" she asked.

"We'll ease you back into it," he said with a smile.

"No, I want to train harder. Next time I don't want to depend on some miracle to save me," she said firmly.

He studied her carefully. "That's fine, but we start off slow. Make sure that you're fully recovered. Because pushing too hard too fast will do more harm than good."

"Okay. You're the boss," she said with a grin. "Now go get me my laptop please. And my hair brush. Maybe my toothbrush too."

"Sure," he said standing to head for the door. "Oh and Skye?"

"Hmm?"

"You ever do something like that again - going in alone? I'll handcuff you to me, so you can't leave my side. Permanently." He left the room quickly after that, hearing her stuttering behind him.

* * *

"It's nice to see you awake," Coulson said from the doorway of the med pod.

"It's nice to be awake," Skye replied with a smile. "I hear you deserve a lot of the thanks for that?"

"I suppose," Coulson replied. He intended to tell her about the drug, but not a few hours after she woke up. It could wait a few days. "How you feeling?"

"Absolutely fine," she replied. "Which means I should be allowed to get up and move around. But Simmons has said I have to stay in bed no matter what and Grant won't help me. Because just between you and me, I think he's scared of the pokey doctor."

Coulson let out a laugh at that. "Where is Ward?" he asked looking around as though he expected the younger man to just appear. It wasn't so farfetched really, given his determination to not leave her side while she was unconscious.

"Oh I sent him to get some things for me," she said offhandedly.

"Ah," he nodded like it made perfect sense for her to just send her SO off to get something for her. Which it did, since the young agent would do pretty much anything Skye asked.

"You know he threatened to handcuff me?" she asked looking intently at Coulson's reaction.

"Uh, do I want to ask why?" he asked in return. Truthfully he didn't know if he wanted to hear the answer, afraid it was some kind of personal thing.

"I told her if she ever went into a situation like that again that I would handcuff her to me, making her unable to leave my side," Ward said as he walked into the room. "You're things, as requested," he said as he reached Skye's side and set her things down on the bed, pressing a kiss to her temple in the process.

"That sounds reasonable," Coulson said in response.

"What?!" Skye screeched in outrage. "In what way does that sound reasonable? Are you seriously agreeing with him right now?"

"Well if it'll keep you out of trouble," Coulson said with a shrug.

The look on Skye's face was just too much for Ward and he started to laugh, quickly joined by Coulson.

"You guys suck," Skye said with a pout.

"I need to tell you something," Ward said quietly, looking to Coulson then back to Skye. He didn't want to upset her but figured she deserved to know the truth about the man that had her shot. He also thought it would be better to tell her with Coulson there, because that way if she hated him because of it, she wouldn't be alone.

"What's up?" she asked, sensing his tension.

"It's about the Clairvoyant," he said softly, not looking away from her. Coulson had shut the door to the med pod when Ward started talking, figuring it was probably something they didn't want overheard.

"Did you figure out why it was familiar?" she asked. She knew it had been bothering him, that he knew it from somewhere but couldn't place where and if he had figured it out that could only be a good thing.

"I did," he answered, reaching for her hand. He worried that she would push him away when he told her the truth, so he would enjoy being able to touch her now while he still could. "You know Garrett was here while you were out?" he asked even though he already knew the answer, and received the expected nod in return. He and Simmons had briefly explained the situation to her earlier while Simmons examined her. "When he was telling Trip and I about the interrogation with Quinn he mentioned the Clairvoyant, and hearing it from him it clicked for me right away. Skye, Garrett is the Clairvoyant." He braced himself for her to pull away; to be disgusted with him; to hate him. He knew he would deserve it. He should have figured it out sooner.

"Oh god, Grant. Are you okay?" she asked, tugging him closer by the hand he still held and taking him completely by surprise.

"I- What?" he stammered, entirely confused. He looked to Coulson who looked far less confused than him and had a gentle smile on his face. "Why don't you hate me?" he asked looking back down at Skye.

"Why would I hate you?" she asked, now confused as well.

"Because I should have figured it out sooner! It could have stopped you from being shot!"

"It's not your fault," she said quietly, holding the sides of his face and forcing him to look at her. "You are not to blame for what happened to me."

"I should have protected you," he said softly.

"You're always protecting me. I never feel safer than when you're around. Now tell me how you figured it out," she instructed.

So he told her what he had told Coulson, about the nickname and that it was him saying the name himself that made him realise why he knew it. He apologised again when he was finished, still feeling like he should have realised sooner.

"It's more of a surprise that you thought of it at all than that you didn't realise it right away," she assured him. "You can't be expected to remember everything you've ever heard. That's just silly. And we know now, which is what matters. Because it means we can do something about it."

"That's very true," Coulson interjected. "And we definitely will. But for right now, you should get some more rest. So I'm going to go, and leave you two alone. Keep her out of trouble, Ward." With that he walked out of the room.

"Wanna get in some trouble with me?" Skye asked immediately.

"What did you have in mind?"

"Kiss me?" she asked with a pout.

"Always," he replied, leaning forward to bite her bottom lip. He kissed her gently for a few minutes before pulling back. "There's something else I need to tell you."

"What is it?" she asked quietly. He seemed tense again, but in a different way.

He leaned his forehead against hers and looked her straight in the eye, taking a deep breath. "I love you, Skye. I'm in love with you." She looked shocked by his words, and maybe a little wary and he didn't want her to think he was only saying it because she nearly died so he hurried to reassure her on that. "And I don't want you to think I'm just saying this because you nearly died. I realised it just after we visited SciTech. But I was scared to tell you then. And then you almost died and I almost never got the chance to tell you. So I'm still scared, but I know now that the thought of you never knowing scares me more than the thought of telling you. So this is me, telling you, I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered. "I was scared to tell you. I didn't think you were ready to hear it and I was afraid I would scare you off so I didn't tell you. But I love you too Grant. I've never loved anyone before the way I love you."

She used the hand wrapped around the back of his neck to pull him forward, crashing his lips into hers. She kissed him fiercely and passionately, overjoyed that he felt the same way she did. He returned the kiss with equal fervour, his tongue slipping past her lips to tangle with her own.

"Skye why is your- Woah!" Simmons said as she ran into the pod. "What are you two doing? You're supposed to be resting! Not getting your heart rate up!"

"Sorry," they replied in unison, looking like guilty children.

"If you continue to get her excited, you will have to leave," Simmons said to Ward. "She needs to rest."

"No! He has to stay! I promise we'll be good!" Skye said quickly. There was no way she was letting him leave her after a confession like that, and if the only way for him to stay was for them to keep their hands to themselves then that's what they would do.

"Fine. But if I have to come in here again because your heart rate spikes like that, then that's it," Simmons said sternly.

"We promise baby sis. No more elevated heart rate," Ward said with a grin.

"I'm holding you to that," she said as she spun on her heel and walked out.

"She's right, you should be resting," Ward said as he looked back at Skye.

"Okay," she replied easily. "But only if you climb up here with me," she added as she shuffled to one side. He went to protest; not wanting to hurt her but was cut off. "I promise, no funny business. I just want you to hold me while I sleep."

He nodded easily, unable to say no to a request like that. "If it hurts at any stage tell me and I'll move," he said as he climbed up beside her, taking her into his arms.

"Nothing ever hurts when you're holding me," she responded as she snuggled down into his chest, falling asleep almost instantly.

"Nothing ever hurts for me when I'm holding you, either," he whispered into her hair, before pressing a kiss there and allowing himself to drift off to sleep too.


	40. Chapter 39

**Author's note**

Some lines are taken from episode 15 'Yes Men'

**Chapter 39**

"All I'm saying is it would be nice to see something outside this med pod," Skye complained.

Ward looked up from where he was seated near the end of the bed, painting her toe nails. She had asked him to do it because she had insisted they needed some colour and she was unable to bend at the waist to do it herself. He had been unimpressed by her request and almost refused but then she had pouted at him and told him she loved him and he had caved. Which seemed to be a recurring thing in the past few days – Skye would want something and he would almost refuse, then she would pout and say she loved him and he would do whatever she wanted. The rest of the team was getting a lot of enjoyment out of watching him answer to her every whim. The only thing he stayed firm on was her not leaving her bed, because Simmons had insisted.

"I'm sorry you're so bored in here baby," he said before turning back to her toes.

She watched him for a few moments as he continued to paint her toe nails. He approached it like he approached everything, with single-minded focus and determination. He was resolute in doing this how he did everything else – perfectly – and she loved him a little bit more for it. She went to respond just as he finished off her last toe, when Simmons walked in.

"Oh good, you're finished. I didn't want to interrupt, but May wants us up in the control room," she said from the doorway.

"Oh can I come?" Skye asked quickly.

"Absolutely not, you must stay in bed," Simmons replied.

"Maybe she should," Ward suggested. Simmons turned to him in shock - he had been her greatest ally in keeping Skye in bed before now. "Hear me out," he continued before Simmons could protest. "I'll carry her up there, she'll remain seated the whole time and then I'll carry her back down here. She won't be exerting herself any more than she is right now sitting in bed."

"Are you sure?" Simmons asked. Skye was wisely keeping quiet, knowing Ward had more chance of winning Simmons over on his own than if she tried to help. The scientist had a soft spot for her 'big bro'.

"She needs to get out of this room for a while. More than that, I need her to get out of this room for a while," Ward replied. "I just painted her toe nails Jemma! Pink! Because she was bored! I have some of the polish on me!" he continued, waving his hand around for emphasis. There was quite a bit of pink nail polish on his hand. "Please, let us have this!"

Simmons barely held in her laugh at the sight of the strong specialist in front of her, begging to take the hacker out of the room. She could understand it, he would do anything for Skye, but getting pink nail polish on him seemed to hit a limit.

"Okay," she conceded with a barely hidden grin. "But you carry her there and back and she remains seated at all times."

"It's not like I would want to walk anyway," Skye interjected now that she thought it was safe. Simmons had already agreed, there would be no taking it back. "I might smudge my toes and then where would we be? Right back at the beginning with Grant scowling at a nail polish bottle like it had personally wronged him."

"Be nice or I'll leave you down here," Ward said with a mock glare at her.

"You wouldn't leave me down here, you love me too much," she replied with a grin.

"You're right I do," he said easily. He stood up and went to pick her up but was stopped by Simmons basically jumping on him and squealing. It took a moment before he realised what was going on and then he looked at Skye who was looking very confused. "It's the first time we've said it in front of anyone," he supplied.

The confusion cleared and she grinned at him. "Ah. That would explain it," she said. "Now let's go, I can't wait any longer to get out of here!"

"Sorry, sorry," Simmons said as she detached herself from Ward. "I'm just so happy for you both. And that you finally figured it out. We've all known how you feel for ages, but you two were taking forever! When did you say it? Who said it first? Unless you don't want to tell me! You don't have to, if you want to-"

"Take a breath, baby sis," Ward said as he scooped Skye up. "Skye will tell you all about it on the way upstairs."

* * *

"Nice of you to join us," May said as they entered the room. Then she noticed Skye. "Ah everyone's here, hence the delay I suppose."

"Sorry," Ward said as he placed Skye in the chair Simmons had dragged over. "We were negotiating with Simmons over Skye's temporary release from her room-" "Prison!" Skye interjected. "- And so it took us a little longer than it should have."

"That's fine," May said and offered Skye a smile. "It's nice to see you out of your room and feeling better."

"It's nice to be out of my prison cell," Skye returned with a smile.

"Uh Ward, why is your hand pink?" Fitz asked suddenly, causing May's head to snap in his direction and Simmons and Skye to laugh.

"Don't even ask," Simmons said quickly, at the same time Skye said "He painted my toe nails!" and wiggled her toes in the air for them to see.

Fitz and May looked from the two girls, to Ward and back again before May shook her head.

"We have new orders," she said, wanting to change the subject as quickly as possible. Everyone's attention focused on her and she continued. "SHIELD's detecting massive energy readings in the skies above the California/ Nevada border."

"Wait where's AC?" Skye asked.

"He's taking some personal time," May answered.

"I haven't seen him since just after I woke up," Skye said. "And it's been a few days."

"These are the same readings Dr Selvig and Dr Foster picked up in New Mexico and in London," Simmons said, saving May from having to answer Skye. "They herald the arrival of an Asgardian."

"Thor!" Fitz said quickly and a little hopefully.

"Oh I hope it's Thor," Skye sighed. She thought she was speaking a lot quieter than she was though and everyone had turned in her direction. "I would love to meet him. I mean he's just so dreamy. What I wouldn't give to-" She cut herself off when she realised everyone was staring at her. She coughed and then looked straight at May. "So what's the orders?"

May smothered a grin before answering, "We're not sure who it is, but either way SHIELD wants us to be the Welcome Wagon."

"Okay, fine. No cause for concern right," Fitz said. "Asgardians are allies."

"Loki wasn't," Ward replied.

"Let's get ready to go. Fitz can you track the energy on the move?" May asked, breaking the tension that had settled at the mention of Loki.

"Of course" he replied.

"Then head to the SUV. Skye-"

"Let me guess? Back to bed?" Skye interrupted.

"Yes," May replied with a smirk, before she and FitzSimmons left the room.

Ward stepped forward and scooped her out of the chair without saying a word. He was even pouting a little, and she guessed it was probably over her comments on Thor. She sometimes forgot that under the tough Agent Ward exterior, he was still vulnerable and insecure like anyone else, especially when it came to her.

"Hey robot?" she said quietly, nuzzling into his neck as he walked down the stairs.

"Hmm?"

"You're the most dreamy," she said with a smile. "And there's no one I'd rather be with, anywhere in the Universe, more than you. You're what my dreams are made of. And I love you."

"I love you too," he said quietly as they reached the med pod. "Try to stay out of trouble while we're gone okay? And Simmons will be here if you need anything."

"Only if you promise not to touch anything Asgardian!"

"I promise not to touch anything Asgardian," he said as he pressed a kiss to her head and pulled away.

* * *

Lady Sif was about to explain to Coulson, May, Ward and Fitz what she was doing there when Ward interrupted.

"What are you doing out of bed?" he asked as he spun in the direction of the door where Skye was standing.

"How did you even know I was there?" she asked as he moved towards her.

"I always know when you're there. Now answer my question. You aren't meant to leave your bed, I can't imagine Simmons was okay with this," he said as he lifted her and carried her over to a chair.

"Simmons did say-" Skye started but was interrupted.

"Skye!" Simmons called out as she entered through the same door Skye had just come through. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"That's what I said," Ward said, raising an eyebrow at Skye.

"Okay fine! Simmons didn't say it was okay. But I wanted to meet Lady Sif too!" she said, sneaking a peek at the Asgardian over Ward's shoulder. Sif was looking between Skye and Ward with a strange expression on her face.

"Is this Skye your wife, Agent Grant Ward?" Sif asked, using the name she had been introduced to him by.

"No," he replied turning his head to look at the Asgardian briefly before looking back to Skye. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she insisted. "Nothing even hurts."

"This is remarkable, the way you know when she is there," Sif continued to Ward. "You clearly share a deep bond."

"Yes," Ward replied this time. Finally satisfied that Skye was in fact fine he turned back to the Asgardian. "Skye, this is the Lady Sif of Asgard, Lady Sif this is Skye."

"It is a pleasure to meet you Skye," Sif said moving towards them.

"You too," Skye replied with a smile.

"So the person you're looking for?" Coulson interjected, getting them back on track.

"Lorelei," Sif said, turning her focus to Coulson. "Six hundred years ago she used her powers to wreak havoc across the nine realms; to command armies; bring down kings, empires."

"What kind of powers are we talking about?" Ward asked.

"Sorcery," Sif replied. "She bends and shapes the will of men to her own purpose."

"Only men?" Skye asked.

"Her powers don't work on women?" May added.

"No. Men have an inherent weakness we do not share," Sif replied.

"I can't imagine what she's talking about," Fitz muttered to Ward, who shrugged and shook his head in return.

"The very sound of her voice can ensnare most," Sif continued. "For the rare man that can resist it's her voice joined by her touch that will overpower his will."

"So how do we stop her?" Coulson asked.

"With this," Sif replied, producing a collar of some kind. "It prevents her from speaking. She wore one like it for centuries while locked in prison. She escaped when the dark elves invaded Asgard and came here using one of Loki's secret pathways between worlds."

"Do we know where she is now?" Ward asked.

"All I know is the bifrost delivered me to her last known location," Sif replied.

"Mostly small towns out that way," Coulson said. "Let's start looking for unusual activity within a few hundred mile radius. Burglary, theft, assault. If this woman is used to ruling over empires she's going to be hard to please."

"On it," Fitz said.

"Oh can I help?" Skye asked.

"No you need to go back to bed," Simmons said firmly. Skye started to pout but Simmons shook her head. "That won't work on me. Agent Ward, please," she said to Ward.

"Come on," he said, lifting her out of the chair. "I'll put you back to bed."

"How about you climb into bed with me," the team heard her reply as they left the room.

"No elevated heart rate!" Simmons called after them.

* * *

"Men, stay outside. Let Sif take Lorelei," Coulson instructed after they had dealt with the law enforcement protecting Lorelei. "Ward, head around back."

Ward nodded and headed for the back of the bar. He came around the side of the building carefully with his ICER raised. As he was moving through the piles of scrap he sensed movement behind him and spun, the chain he was about to be hit in the back with instead hitting the hand holding his ICER, making him drop it.

"Look, I'm sure you're a reasonable guy-" he started as he dodged the other man's punches. "Rooster," he continued, reading the name off his jacket. "Rooster? Really?" he asked sceptically. Who would willingly call themselves Rooster?

Finally he had enough of this guy swinging at him and punched him in the face, knocking him out. He went to pick up his ICER and hearing someone hit the ground behind him, spun and raised the weapon.

"You are a fine warrior," the woman in front of him, who he easily assumed to be Lorelei, said.

"I am," he agreed easily. "So put your hands behind your back and get on your knees."

"Men kneel before me, I do not bow to them," she replied silkily.

"Gonna need some back up over here," he spoke into his comm.

"That is not what you need," she said as she reached out and held his arm. "Take me somewhere grand, deserving of a ruler; a queen," she instructed.

"I know just the place," he responded as he led her to a nearby bike.

* * *

"I am fortunate to have found you," Lorelei said to Ward as they moved through the casino floor. He had brought her to Vegas, knowing that it was an easy place to disappear in the crowds. "You are quite resourceful."

"Just well trained," Ward replied.

"No," she responded moving closer to him. "You are worlds apart from those men in the desert."

"I'm not an idiot," Ward said moving slightly away from her. "I know you value me no more than those bikers back there. I just don't care."

"Because of what you feel?" she asked.

"I wish to please you, anything else is irrelevant. I would die for you. Any man would."

"But I don't want them, I want you. You're stronger, a real man with the rage of a Berserker inside. You will present me with an army and I will give you a gift in return," she said seductively as she moved closer to him.

He moved away again. "We need to get off the casino floor. There are too many cameras. The room is this way."

He walked off towards the elevators, leaving Lorelei to follow him, slightly confused. He was under her enchantment and yet he resisted. He would do anything for her and yet he did not seem to desire her physically. This wasn't how it normally went and she didn't understand it. Once they were inside the room she moved to kiss him but he pulled away, holding a hand up between them. He wasn't entirely sure why he kept denying her; he just knew that to give in would be the wrong choice. He wished to please her; he would die for her; but he did not want to be with her intimately.

"What is this pink on your hand?" Lorelei asked, distracted momentarily by the nail polish on his hand that he had forgotten about.

"It's nail polish. I wash painting Skye's toe nails for her earlier," he answered easily. At the mention of Skye, something tickled around the edges of his consciousness but he couldn't quite place it.

"Who is this Skye?"

"She's everything to me," Ward replied instantly.

"Do you prefer her to me?" Lorelei asked.

"I prefer her to everyone." His response was once again instant, no thought at all going into it.

"How is this possible?" Lorelei asked. "You should prefer no woman to me."

His response was interrupted by the buzzing of his phone. He checked it and found an alert that his accounts were being examined. At that the thought from earlier become clear.

"We have to leave," he said to Lorelei.

"But why? I like it here."

"We need to eliminate the threat to you so you can stay. That begins with Sif and the people she is working with. And I know those people, I know how they work. They can trace us, so they will follow us here. We need to be gone before that and head them off. Go to their base, where we will have the element of surprise."

She looked at him for a moment. "That is a sound plan. And you will protect me from these people? All of them?"

"I will protect you from anyone," Ward replied easily.

He snuck them out through the casino, avoiding cameras as much as possible and they were quickly back on the road and headed for where the bus was parked. He had to ensure Lorelei's safety, and get her what she wanted and that started with eliminating the threat against her.


	41. Chapter 40

**Author's note**

Some lines are taken from episode 15 'Yes Men'

**Chapter 40**

"Aren't you the brave one?" Lorelei said to May as she approached her.

"You took my plane," May hissed. "I want it back."

"We can't always get what we want," Lorelei replied silkily. "Well actually, I can." Ward stepped into the room and walked up to Lorelei, barely casting a glance at May. "I will retrieve Sif's sword. It will look better in my hand."

"Ward you don't want to do this," May said, focusing on her team mate.

"This was the plan," Ward replied. "Cross off Sif, take the plane, eliminate anyone in our way." He raised his gun and pointed it at May. "So get out of her way."

"It's her plan, not yours. Fight it. I know you. You're a fighter," May said firmly.

"Is this her?" Lorelei asked. "You're everything? The one you prefer over everyone?" Lorelei grabbed Ward's shirt and went to pull him in for a kiss but was interrupted.

"No, that would be me," came Skye's voice from behind them.

"What are you doing out of bed again?" Ward asked, moving away from Lorelei and to Skye immediately. "You're supposed to be resting."

Lorelei followed him over and stepped up beside him. She couldn't understand how he kept walking away from her, but it would seem it had something to do with this girl. May watched curiously as Lorelei followed Ward. Skye seemed to be able to pull him away from the enchantment in some way, which shouldn't have been possible according to what Sif had said.

"I need to retrieve Sif's sword," Lorelei said as she reached out and touched Ward's shoulder.

Ward looked at her briefly before turning back to Skye. He lifted her gently and settled her on one of the chairs at the side of the plane. "I have to deal with May," he said to her quietly. "Just wait here and I will take you to bed when I'm done."

Skye went to respond but saw May's slight headshake behind Ward and Lorelei so just gave him a small smile and nod instead. Clearly May must have some kind of plan so she would trust the older woman.

Lorelei wasn't pleased with his reaction to this Skye, but decided that as long as he would keep the other woman, who seemed to be a warrior, out of the way she would just ignore it for now. She left to retrieve the sword, figuring that once Sif was gone and she had her sword, she could deal with this Skye and then have her warrior to herself.

Ward had turned back to May after ensuring Skye was resting safely out of the way. He held his gun on her still to ensure she didn't try to follow Lorelei. A few moments later he was briefly distracted when he heard Fitz shouting that they had a problem and May was able to get the gun from him, which led to them fighting. Ward consciously kept the fight far from Skye who was still sitting on one of the couches looking on. She didn't know what to do but knew she needed to do something. It wasn't until they fell through a glass pane and Ward was pointing a gun at May that she jumped up.

"Sorry about this," Ward said as he went to shoot May but was stopped once again by Skye's voice.

"Grant!" she called, causing him to turn immediately in her direction.

"What's wrong?" he asked getting up and moving towards her. May jumped up behind him and spun him around, using Skye's distraction to her advantage and moving to hit him. "Woah, woah, woah. Wait. Sorry. It's me," he said putting his hands up and backing up a step from her. "Okay? I'm back."

"He speaks the truth," Sif said as she entered the room with Lorelei.

Ward looked at Sif then turned back to May with a smile. "Good to know," she said before she hit him anyway.

"Hey!" Skye exclaimed rushing over to Ward's side. "Are you okay?" she asked as she reached up and turned his face in her direction, poking at his jaw and around his eyes.

"I'm fine baby," he replied softly. "Shouldn't I be asking you that? I'm pretty sure you're supposed to be in bed."

"Yes she is," Simmons said as she and Coulson entered the room.

"I told you to stay put," Coulson added.

"I wanted to help!" Skye insisted.

"And it's lucky she did," May defended her. "Her being here was the only thing that stopped Ward from shooting me."

"Sorry about that," Ward said to May with a grimace. She just waved it off – she had hit him after she knew he was back to normal, which was making her feel guilty, she really didn't need him to apologise.

"What do you mean?" Coulson asked.

"What did you do?" Simmons asked in a weary voice. Skye better not have exerted herself too much.

"She just said his name," May replied. "And immediately he turned away to make sure she was okay. It happened when she first came into the room too. As soon as he heard her speak he moved away from Lorelei and to Skye's side."

"How is that possible?" Coulson asked, turning to Sif. "I thought that men under her enchantment had no will of their own."

"I have never known of a man to resist," Sif replied. She then turned to Ward. "What did you feel while under her enchantment?"

"I wanted to please her. I would do anything to protect her; even die for her. But it was like I couldn't let her touch me. She would try and touch me, or kiss me and I would pull away. I didn't know why I was denying her, just that not doing so would be the wrong choice," he replied unsure how to explain it when he hadn't really understood it himself.

"And it was when you thought of your Skye that you felt this compulsion to resist?" Sif asked.

"Part of me is always thinking of Skye, but yes I suppose so," he replied.

"This is truly remarkable. I believe it is the bond I mentioned earlier between you and your Skye. I have never known two people, especially of Midgard, to be so closely bonded, it is an almost tangible thing between you; like you are two halves of a whole. I believe this prevented you from doing anything that may hurt your love. It is amazing. I have seen even the strongest of men submit to her and yet you were able to resist. You are a great warrior Agent Grant Ward," Sif said. "And an even better man."

"Thank you, Lady Sif. That is a great compliment coming from you," Ward replied.

"You need to get back to bed," Simmons said to Skye as she moved closer.

"I enjoyed meeting you Lady Sif," Skye said turning towards the Asgardian.

"And I you," Sif responded.

Skye then turned towards Ward who was watching her. "Well come on then turbo. You told me once you were done dealing with May you'd take me to bed. You seem to be done, so take me to bed." she said with a grin.

He shook his head at her with a grin then scooped her up into his arms making her giggle. "Do you really have to say it like that in front of Coulson. He carries a weapon you know, and I wouldn't put it past him to shoot me," he said to her as they left the room, causing her to laugh more.

"This bond they share," Coulson said as he watched them go. May had headed to the cockpit to put the plane down and FitzSimmons had headed down to the lab. "Do you know why it is so strong?"

"I could not say," Sif replied. "I have never seen anything like it. Bonds are not something I know a lot about, but between them it is so apparent it almost screams at you. It is hard to ignore. And if it was enough for him to resist Lorelei's sorcery then it is not something to be interfered with." She turned to face Coulson. "I should return with Lorelei to Asgard as soon as possible."

"Yes," Coulson agreed. "We'll be landing shortly, near to where you arrived."

* * *

Coulson and May stood with Sif on the landing above the cargo bay after they had landed, watching the Asgardian warrior as she looked around. "My apologies," she said. "The damage caused to your flying boat was unfortunate."

"It's seen worse," May replied with a smile.

"I am honoured to have fought by your side," Sif said to the two of them. They nodded in return, before she jumped over the hand rail to the cargo bay floor and grabbed Lorelei, escorting her off the plane.

"Would you shoot him?" May asked Coulson as they watched her go, referring to Ward's comments from earlier.

"Nah," Coulson replied easily. "But he doesn't need to know that."

"I'll run diagnostics," she said with a smile. "See how much damage we're dealing with."

"How much are you dealing with?"

"I'm fine. He didn't break anything."

Coulson studied her for a moment before nodding. "Okay. Let me know once diagnostics are done."

"Will do." She turned to head back into the main section of the plane but paused, turning her head back towards him. "You've been sitting on something, since the Guest House. If you can't talk about it with me, then with Skye. She deserves to know what you saw down there."

She left the room before he could respond in anyway, but he nodded anyway. He fully intended to talk to Skye now that she seemed to be doing better. He headed down to the med pod where he assumed Ward had taken her.

"I'm not saying you were weak, I'm saying all men are weak," he heard Simmons say when he neared the pod.

"Yeah," Skye agreed. "Even the super spy here was taken in by Lorelei, and he's the strongest guy I know. It wasn't something you could prevent."

Coulson reached the door as Ward started speaking from beside Skye. "I'm really not sure if you complimented me or insulted me just then."

"Sir," Fitz said, jumping slightly as Coulson stepped into the room. The only one who seemed unsurprised by his entrance was Ward, but that was no surprise – the younger man probably knew he was there while he was still down the hall. "I understand why you had to punch me. I forgive you," Fitz continued.

"Can I get a moment alone with Skye please?" Coulson asked.

"Yeah," Fitz replied and then looked to Simmons, the two of them leaving the pod.

Ward leaned into Skye and pressed a kiss to her temple. "I'll be back soon," he said softly and went to leave the room.

"You can stay," Coulson said, stopping him. "I told you I would tell you when she was awake and I could tell her. Well she's awake so it's time for me to tell you both."

Ward simply nodded and moved back to Skye, who had sat down on the side of her bed. "I know that face, and this sounds not so good. It gives me a feeling that I should be sitting down for this," Skye said in response to Coulson's raised eyebrow.

"I've been looking for a way to tell you this, looking around for some answers, something to explain but I don't have any," Coulson started. "The drug? The one that saved us both. When we found it, I discovered something else. Its source. It was alien."

"A-alien as in unfamiliar," Skye asked.

"No," Coulson replied softly.

"Wow."

"As soon as I learned what it was I tried to keep them from injecting you, but it was too late," he said sadly. "I'm so sorry Skye."

"Hey, you were trying to save my life. You did save my life," she said comfortingly.

"I was desperate, and I subjected you to unknown ramifications or side effects."

"I'm sorry to say this but so what?" she asked. "We are alive. And you've had that stuff in you a while and you're okay right? Not sprouting a pointy tail or anything so bonus there."

"I know nothing fazes you, but this should faze you!" Coulson said. "We are completely in the dark on this."

"But that's where we live," Ward spoke up for the first time, causing them both to turn and look at him. "Not knowing anything, being in the dark. It's what we do best. Skye's an 084, and we don't know what that means. But we're in the dark together. There's a long list of questions we have, right?" he paused and received nods from both Skye and Coulson. "Well we're very, very good at getting answers. So let's go get them."

"If the team's up for it-" Skye started but was cut off by Coulson.

"No. no, listen, they can't know. I trust them, but we need to protect them from this. Fury went to dangerous lengths to keep this under wraps. He lied to me, to SHIELD. This is a powerful secret, one men died for. Until we know more, we can't share it with anyone, for their safety and ours," he said looking between the two.

"Got it," Skye said and then looked at Ward. "Wait, how come Ward's here then if we need to keep it a secret?"

"Because if I hadn't told him you would have," Coulson replied easily.

"Oh yeah," Skye muttered.

"You good with keeping this between us?" Coulson asked looking at Ward.

"Sir, I'm trained to keep secrets. And this one protects Skye, so it's one _I_ would die for too," Ward said easily.

"So what do we go after first?" Skye asked.

"The person responsible," Coulson replied. "And we make him pay."

Skye stared at him for a moment before speaking, "You mean.." she trailed off.

"Yes," Coulson responded. He turned to Ward. "Can you handle this?"

"He had her shot. I'm more than ready to make him pay," Ward replied.

"Well we know who he is, but he's a well respected, high-ranking officer in SHIELD. We can't exactly just go after him. So where do we start?" Skye asked.

"By making him expose himself," Ward answered. "And I have an idea for just how to do that."


	42. Chapter 41

**Author's note**

I am so, so sorry for the lack of updates over the past two weeks. A lot of things happened all at once for me and I just couldn't get it done. But all is right in my world again and updates should come frequently again starting with this. It might seem like not a lot really happens in this chapter, but it sets up for everything that's going to happen. Again, I'm very, very sorry.

**Chapter 41**

"So it's time to bring in FitzSimmons?" Coulson asked once Ward was finished explaining his plan.

"Yes sir I think it is. Obviously they don't need to know that this is about the drug, we only tell them the Hydra side of things and that we're going to hunt the Clairvoyant," Ward said. "Which isn't untrue. We are going to hunt the Clairvoyant and go after Hydra, it's how we'll get answers about the drug."

"I agree," Coulson answered. "Okay, you take Skye and get FitzSimmons while I go and get May and we'll all meet in the lounge and discuss this."

Ward nodded his head before scooping Skye up into his arms and they left the room, going in opposite directions outside the door.

"I'm gonna miss you carrying me around when Simmons finally let's up on this whole 'rest all the time' bit," Skye said as she rested her head against Ward's shoulder.

"Who said I'm going to stop carrying you around?" he asked. "I like having you in my arms, this is just a convenient excuse," he said as he walked into the lab, making the two scientists look up. "We need to go up to the lounge, there's a team meeting," he directed at FitzSimmons as he walked through the lab.

"Skye shouldn't be out of bed," Simmons called as she moved to follow him.

"This is important enough that she should be," Ward called back, causing Simmons to shoot Fitz a puzzled look.

They entered the lounge behind Ward just as Coulson and May entered from the cockpit. Everyone got comfortable and turned towards Coulson waiting for him to speak.

"Do you want to start?" he asked Ward.

"That'll probably be the easiest way," Ward replied. "Get everyone on the same page first and then we'll explain the new bits." Coulson gave him a nod and he directed his attention to FitzSimmons. "I'm going to tell you something that's going to be hard to hear and will probably change the way you think of me, and that's okay. But it's time you know the whole truth. You will probably have questions but I'm going to ask that you hold off asking them until I'm done explaining and then I'll answer anything you want to know."

After receiving nods from each of them he then started to explain about Garrett and Hydra. He told them about his childhood and family; being in juvie and Garrett getting him out; his time in the woods; Garrett telling him about Hydra and then getting him into SHIELD as a double agent; and finally making the decision to come clean to Coulson and what had happened since then.

"We didn't tell you sooner to protect you. If you had known and then been confronted we were worried you wouldn't be able to keep up the act of not knowing convincingly. And if they found out that you knew, they wouldn't hesitate to kill you," Ward finished.

They took a few minutes to process all they'd been told before Simmons spoke up. "So why tell us now?" she asked.

"Because we know who the Clairvoyant is. And we're sick of playing defence. We've decide it's time to take the fight to him. And to do that we need everyone on the same page. We want to end this, and the only way we all get through this is to work together as a team. We need your help," Ward said.

"You have a plan," Fitz spoke up. He hadn't taken his eyes off Ward since he had started explaining this whole situation. He was a little hurt that the man he considered his brother hadn't trusted him before now but he could also understand it.

"We have an idea for a plan," Ward corrected. "But it will only work if everyone is part of it."

The two scientists looked at each other then back to Ward and nodded.

"You're my big brother," Simmons said. "I'm always going to be on your side."

"Same goes for me," Fitz added. "We'll do whatever you need us to do."

"Okay so what do we do?" May asked now that the scientists had confirmed they were on board. She already knew what the three of them had discussed in the med pod thanks to the hidden microphone but she had to pretend like she didn't. She also knew that it was time to tell Coulson the truth about that no matter what Fury said, but she couldn't do it in front of the whole team so it would have to wait.

"Garrett is the Clairvoyant," Coulson said, starting off the explanations. He went to continue but was interrupted by the two scientists.

"What?!" they exclaimed together.

"But the Clairvoyant had you kidnapped-" Fitz continued.

"And Skye shot!" Simmons added.

"If you knew he was the Clairvoyant-" Fitz went on.

"Then why didn't you do anything?" Simmons finished.

"We didn't know until after Skye was shot," Ward spoke up before they could get any further worked up. The scientists both turned to look at him with questioning expressions. "He's never told me he is the Clairvoyant, but I figured it out while he was on board when we were trying to save Skye. We were already keeping an eye on him for obvious reasons but we kept any even closer watch after that. And now that we know we are going to do something."

"Oh. Well I guess that makes sense," Fitz said.

"So, as I was saying," Coulson spoke again once the scientists seemed to accept this explanation. "Garrett is the Clairvoyant, and we need to get him to expose himself. Because at this point we have no real proof and he's a high ranking SHIELD agent that has a lot of respect. Fury and Hill would believe us if we brought this to them but even they would need something to prove it to be able to do anything with him."

"And as well as exposing him as the Clairvoyant we're going to bring Hydra to light before they are ready and prepared," Skye added.

"Because if we catch them off guard and expose them before they are ready it will be harder for them to bring SHIELD down," Ward finished.

"So how do we do that?" Simmons asked.

"We get him to work with us," Ward said. "Our team is the lead on finding the Clairvoyant so we go through the motions of searching for him. Put on a show; get Garrett's assistance in it. It makes him think he's safe, that he's still got the upper hand."

"We're going to tell him that we believe the Clairvoyant is a SHIELD agent. Explain how we figured it out. Then point the finger at someone other than him. Someone that's going to be in on the entire plan, and will make it seem like it could be. Hydra will 'reveal itself', which will actually be us revealing Hydra and our fake Clairvoyant will target him, and us, under the cover of thinking we are Hydra," Skye continued.

"It will reinforce Garrett's feeling that he's safe; that he has the upper hand," Coulson added. "Someone else is being blamed as the Clairvoyant and Hydra is coming to light. He will feel like everything is falling into place for him."

"Who is going to be the fake Clairvoyant?" Simmons asked.

"I was thinking Hand," Ward spoke up, causing everyone to look at him.

"Why?" Coulson asked. It wasn't a bad idea, but he wanted to understand Ward's thought process.

"Think about it, she's a high ranking agent with a lot of pull and authority. We're going to use having security clearance as how we figured it out and she is one of only a handful who have high enough security clearance to pull it off. If not her who will we use? Hill?"

"That's true," Coulson agreed. "It's a good idea. And we know she's clean. I'm sure once the situation is explained to her she will happily get on board."

"What then?" May asked. They seemed to have this all planned out, much more than she had heard.

"And then I get Garrett to tell me the truth," Ward said. "Since he will think everything is coming to light, he will tell me and he'll get caught doing it. He'll expect me to keep my cover so I'll pretend I knew nothing about it-"

"How will you manage that?" May interrupted. "To make him tell you the truth won't you have to implicate yourself as well, thus not being able to pretend to know nothing?"

"This is what I do," Ward said quietly. "I'm trained to manipulate, to get the upper hand, to fool people and get answers from them. He may have taught me a lot but I've far surpassed his teachings. I can get him to tell me what I need him to tell me without it seeming like I knew anything. I'm very very good at what I do." He took a breath before continuing. He knew what he was about to say would ruffle her feathers but it needed to be said to prove his point. "I had you fooled didn't I? And I did it quickly and easily."

May glared at him in return but couldn't deny his point. She had been convinced that he was a good, completely by the book guy before the truth had been revealed to her. He was very good at fooling people into believing what he wanted them to believe.

"He doesn't have the best espionage skills since Romanov for nothing," Coulson interjected. "He can get Garrett to say what needs to be said without anyone knowing that he already knew."

"What then?" Simmons asked. She could understand why May asked the question, but if Ward said he could do it that was enough for her.

"I pretend to know nothing; that I feel betrayed and hurt. This man who was my mentor hurt the people I care about. That shouldn't be too hard since it's the truth. And then because I'm angry about everything he's done I say I want to see for myself that he's been locked up."

"So Ward goes along under the guise of making sure he's locked up, but really he's going to help him escape-" Coulson continued.

"What!" May demanded. She hadn't heard this part of the plan when she was listening in earlier and she could not believe they were seriously suggesting this. "We're going to have him in custody and you're going to help him get away?"

"So he can lead us to the rest of Hydra," Coulson said calmly. He knew she wouldn't like this plan but he knew it was their best bet at taking Hydra down and at getting answers about the drug. "Just locking up one man doesn't end the threat. We need to get Hydra, and Garrett is the key to that. Ward knows some, but not enough. Garrett's the one that knows everything."

"So we get it out of him, we don't have to let him escape to do that," May said easily.

"How do you suggest we get it out of him?" Ward asked quietly. "Are you going to torture him?"

"Maybe I will!" she retorted. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"I have no problems with Garrett being caused a world of pain. But you won't break him," Ward answered.

"You think I can't break him?"

"I know you can't. SHIELD won't condone what's necessary to even maybe break him. And even if they would, you wouldn't be able to do it."

"Want me to show you that I can?" May asked angrily.

Ward looked at her intensely for a moment before he spoke again. "I know what you're capable of. And I know what he's capable of. You can't beat him that way," he said quietly, meeting her eyes the entire time. "And you would never break me that way. Because anything you would do to me he's already done to me a hundred times before to ensure it won't work against me. You can't break someone who's already been broken."

There was silence in the lounge as they all absorbed what Ward had said. Coulson and Skye already knew the full extent of what Garrett had done to the specialist and they were surprised that he would speak so openly about it.

May spoke up after a minute. "You said I would never break you 'that way'. Which means you think I could break you but not like that."

"You know how you would be able to break me," Ward replied, his eyes again not leaving her. May's gaze flicked briefly to Skye and then back to him, where he nodded. "Yeah. You can't break me by hurting me but I would do anything for the people I care about; give away any secret to protect them. You wanna break me, you would use her."

"So who would we use to hurt him?" she asked in reply, thinking she had found a solution.

"There's no one he cares about enough for that. He believes feelings make you weak and I suppose he's not entirely wrong when you look at it that way. I would crack for them; there's no one he would crack for."

"If there was a way to do this without letting Garrett escape we would do it," Coulson interjected. He understood why May disagreed with doing it but it was their chance. "But there isn't. This is what we have to do."

"Okay," May agreed. "So Ward helps him escape. How? And then what?"

"Well that's where I'm going to need help from you two," Ward said to FitzSimmons. "Is there a way to change the ICER so it appears more like a real gunshot? As in no blue around the wound?"

"I think so. We've already made them more powerful, but we should be able to get rid of the blue effect. Right Simmons?" Fitz answered.

"Yes, I have an idea for what could work," Simmons answered.

"Okay so you two work on that as quickly as you can. Make it your priority," Coulson instructed.

"Yes sir," FitzSimmons answered together.

"If the ICER can work and appear as a normal gunshot then I take out the team escorting Garrett with it, leading him to believe they are dead," Ward explained. "That's easy enough, and then he and I get away. Skye is going to work on some kind of encrypted communication so I can keep you all updated on what's going on without him knowing."

"And then we will work from our side to take them down with the intel Ward is feeding us," Coulson continued.

"Won't he get suspicious if we are stopping all his plans?" Simmons asked.

"Yes," Ward answered. "And he will suspect me right away. But I will convince him I'm on his side."

"How?" Fitz asked.

"I know how to speak his language," Ward answered evasively.

Skye gasped. "You're going to let him torture you." They hadn't really gone into a lot of detail when Ward had told them his idea down in the med pod, he had just given them the basics and that he was going to go into Hydra undercover.

"I'm going to do what it takes to convince him I'm on his side," Ward corrected.

"And that's what it will take!" Skye shouted. "He'll beat you; hurt you; whatever it takes. And you're just going to let him!"

Ward looked at her sadly. "If that's what it takes then that's exactly what I will do. This only works if Garrett thinks I'm on his side. So I will make him think I am."

"No!" she said adamantly. "No, that isn't what's going to happen. I can't get on board with a plan where you are intending to get the crap beaten out of you."

"I can take it," he replied. "I've taken it my entire life. There's nothing he can do to me that I can't handle."

"You don't have to do this Grant," Coulson interjected. He too hadn't thought about this part of the plan and was horrified that the younger man was going in with the intention of being hurt. That was not what he wanted at all.

"You're right, I don't have to," Ward answered. "But I'm going to. It's our best chance."

Skye stared at him for a moment before she shook her head and left the room. She couldn't believe he was doing this. Didn't he realise what it would do to her if something happened to him?

Ward watched her go with a distraught expression. He knew this would hurt her, but it had to be done. Hydra was their best bet at getting answers on the GH-325 and he would do what it took to get those answers, before they took them down. Because the only way for them to truly be free of Garrett and Hydra was to take them down, and this was the best way to take them down.

"I should.." he trailed off, standing up and pointing after her.

Coulson nodded. "She's just scared to lose you," he offered.

"I know. It isn't exactly easy for me either. But Garrett and Hydra need to be stopped and this is the best way to do that." With that he walked out of the room and after Skye.


	43. Chapter 42

**Author's note**

Some lines are taken from episode 17 'Turn, Turn, Turn'

**Chapter 42**

Ward followed the path Skye had taken, unsure exactly where she had gone and feeling frustrated with the whole situation. She hadn't gone to her bunk, or his, as she had headed away from them; he didn't think she would go back to the med pod since she didn't like being in there; he thought she had gone downstairs though so he headed in that direction. It didn't take long to find her once he reached the stairs – she was standing in the cargo bay, and it looked as though she was wrapping her hands.

"Simmons will have your head if you're about to do what I think you're about to do," he called out as he started down the stairs.

"Simmons needs to back off because I'm fine," Skye snapped. "Except for the fact that my idiot boyfriend wants to just offer himself up to the man that has abused him for half his life. With full knowledge that he's going to be abused some more. So excuse me if I feel like punching something; I have some frustration to work off."

"You know if I thought there was any other way then I would take it. But this is the best plan we have," Ward replied quietly as he stood a few feet from her. He wasn't angry with her for being pissed off; he could understand it. If the situation was reversed and it was her that wanted to do what he was going to do he would be furious. "And I know it isn't what you want to hear, but I can handle whatever he does to me."

"I know you can handle it!" she snapped. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Snapping at him wouldn't help. "But Grant you shouldn't have to handle it. You shouldn't be in a situation where it's going to happen at all!"

"I know baby. I know I shouldn't," he said softly, moving closer to her. He stopped just in front of her and grabbed her hands, holding them still. "And in an ideal world I never would be. But our world is far from ideal, and you know that. But we need to stop Garrett, and Hydra, and we need answers. And you know this is the best way to get them, even if you don't want it to be."

Skye looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "But I don't want you to be hurting anymore. I don't want you to hurt ever again. We can find another way," she whispered pleadingly.

"Baby, there is no other way. Whether we do it now, or we do it later, this was always going to be part of the plan. We've all known since I first come clean about everything that I was going to be going back into Hydra. I can do this. You just need to trust me," he said gently.

"I do trust you. I trust you so much, it sometimes scares me. But that doesn't stop me from worrying about you. Or being scared for you," she murmured.

"I know. But we'll make it through this. I promise you we will," he responded, pulling her into his chest and wrapping his arms tightly around her, pressing kisses to her head.

She curled in closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You promise?"

"I absolutely do. Whatever it takes, we will make it through this. I promise."

"I believe you," she muttered into his chest.

Ward knew that promising her they would make it through was probably not the smartest thing – he didn't know for sure that they would; there were a lot of variables that could prevent it, but he had to believe it. Because if he didn't have the belief that they would make it to hold onto then there was no way he would be able to do what it took to make it work. He needed to believe that they would make it through together or else he wouldn't be able to take what was coming.

"You know you called me your boyfriend?" Ward asked with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.

"What?" Skye asked, lifting her head from his chest and leaning back to look at him.

"Yeah, just when I cam downstairs, you called me your boyfriend. You've never done that before," he replied.

She thought for a minute, and then remembered she had called him her 'idiot boyfriend' without meaning to. "Oh yeah. Is uh, is that okay?" she asked hesitantly. "Because I know we've never defined what this is between us. Not really. But I thought that's what this was. I mean, if you don't want that it's okay, I'm just happy to be with you. It's not like I'm some high schooler who needs to 'define the relationship' or anything. Really. As long as we're together I-"

"Baby take a breath!" Ward interrupted, amusement clear on his face. "I'm one hundred percent okay with you wanting to call me your boyfriend. I assumed that's what our relationship was too, I was just pointing out that neither of us has ever actually said it before. I don't think there's anything I would rather be more than yours."

"Okay good. Because I want to be your girlfriend," she said with a grin, leaning up to peck his lips. "And I can't believe I'm being one of those girls right now," she moaned.

"Which girls?" he asked.

"Those ones that get all excited because of boys and want to squeal and stuff. I've never been one of those girls but this whole conversation is making me feel like one," she explained.

"Well I don't mind you acting like one of those girls if it means you're excited about us," he said with a smirk. "Maybe you should squeal a little? You know, just to properly show your excitement."

"Shut up," she laughed, hitting his chest lightly. "You're not funny!"

"Oh I rather think I am," he replied, leaning in and pressing his lips to hers before she could respond. He kissed her gently, without deepening it any for a few moments before he pulled back and gave her a soft smile. "Really though, there's nothing wrong with wanting to squeal. I kind of do too. Being yours; you being mine; I can't think of anything in the world that could make me happier."

"Me too," she agreed before leaning back into his arms and kissing him.

He didn't hesitate to deepen the kiss this time, licking the seam of her lips to gain entrance to her mouth. He ran his hands down her back to her thighs and lifted her legs, which she immediately wrapped around his waist, then walked a few steps across to press her into the cargo bay wall, never breaking the kiss. When oxygen started to become an issue he pulled away from her lips and kissed along her jaw and to her neck, causing her to moan. His hands were edging up under her shirt while she had her fingers threaded into his hair when they were interrupted.

"Woah! This is a public area!" Fitz's voice came from the stairs. "In view of the lab! Stop, stop, stop! Please stop! I do not need to see this!"

Ward pulled his head back instantly and dropped Skye's feet to the ground. He turned his head towards the engineer, who was accompanied by a blushing biochemist. He kept his body facing Skye until the tightening in his pants lessened, not wanting to give the scientists any more of a show.

"Sorry?" Ward asked more than told them. He wasn't really sorry – how could he be sorry for touching and kissing Skye after all? – but he recognised that maybe the cargo bay wasn't the place to do it.

"You're only sorry we walked in," Simmons said with a grin. She was still blushing at having caught the two of them in such a position but she couldn't help but tease them a little.

"Yeah pretty much," Skye muttered before she realised everyone had heard her and she shrugged awkwardly. "I mean- oh who am I kidding, we all know I meant exactly what it sounded like I meant."

"Yes that's what I- why are your hands wrapped Skye?" Simmons demanded, glaring at the other girl as she noticed the wraps half on her hands.

"Uh- um- I- Well- Grant help me out here?" Skye stuttered.

Saying his name caused Simmons to turn her glare on him so he was quick to put his hands up in a defensive gesture and move away from Skye. "This is all her, I told her not to and that you would be angry!" he defended himself quickly.

"What kind of boyfriend are you?" Skye demanded. "You're supposed to be on my side!"

"Jemma's scary," Ward muttered to her. "And I don't want her to look at me with that face anymore!"

Fitz laughed at hearing the big, tough specialist mutter about how scared he was of the tiny scientist. "Come on bro, Simmons isn't that scary!"

"She's clearly not giving you the same glare she gave me," Ward said to Fitz.

"So?" Simmons interrupted before Fitz could reply, looking at Skye again. "Why are your hands wrapped?"

"I was going to hit the bag okay!" Skye answered. "I know I shouldn't and that you're going to be mad at me about it but I just needed to work out some frustration!"

Simmons softened a little then, understanding why Skye was so frustrated. She wasn't particularly pleased with this plan that put Ward into the hands of a man who had spent over a decade abusing him either.

"Let me give you a quick check up," Simmons offered. "And if I'm satisfied with the results then we can discuss extending your limits beyond bed rest."

"Really?" Skye asked, not expecting such an offer.

"I'm not making any promises; it will depend what your results show," Simmons answered.

"Okay then, let's do this!" Skye said happily, turning and heading straight for the lab. She stopped just as she reached the doors and turned back, taking the few steps to get back to Ward and leaning up, pressing a quick kiss to his lips then turning and running back to the lab.

"Let me know what she can start doing once you're done?" Ward asked Simmons as the scientist went to follow the hacker.

"I will," Simmons replied with a smile.

Fitz turned to look at Ward who was watching the two girls with a soft smile. "You better come back from this," he blurted, looking to the ground when he realised he had said it out loud.

Ward turned to look at him, confused for a moment before he realised what he was talking about. Clearly Skye wasn't the only one with worries over the plan for Garrett and Hydra.

"I'll come back," Ward assured him. "You guys are my family, and I would never just abandon you like that."

Fitz looked up at him then. "I know you wouldn't abandon us on purpose. But what if it's not your choice? What if he really hurts you? So bad that you can't come back."

"You mean what if he kills me?" Ward asked. It was clear that was the question the engineer was trying to ask, but he was failing to get the words out. Fitz nodded. "He won't," Ward assured him.

"You can't know that," Fitz said softly.

"But I do," Ward answered. "He might try to kill me, but he won't manage it. Because I have too much to live for to let that happen. I can take him Fitz. And if it comes down to letting him kill me or blowing my cover then I will blow my cover. I promise you, I will do everything in my power to make it back to you guys."

Fitz studied him for a few moments and then nodded. "Good. Because we need you to make it home. We need you."

"And I need you guys too," Ward replied.

They were interrupted then by Coulson coming down the stairs. "We're going to have an overnight stay tonight," the older agent said. "There are obviously some repairs that need doing, but May can get us in the air and to a SHIELD base to have them done. We're going to head to the Hub where I'm going to meet with Fury and explain the plan and then we will probably bring Hand in."

"You meeting with Fury alone?" Ward asked.

"Yeah I thought it would be less suspicious if that was the case. I'm meeting under the guise of updating him on the Clairvoyant search. Which I guess is actually what I'm going to do since I'm going to tell him we know who it is," Coulson explained. "But I will want you, at least, in on the meeting with Hand. Probably the whole team. Which we can easily swing as bringing her in on the hunt for the Clairvoyant."

"Sounds reasonable," Ward replied.

"So we're staying at the Hub overnight?" Fitz asked.

"In a hotel. One near to the Hub but not too close. That way there's less chance of running into too many people from SHIELD before we're ready," Coulson answered before turning to Ward. "You're absolutely certain that Hand isn't Hydra right?"

"A hundred percent," Ward replied. "Garrett goes on about her almost as much as he does about you. The way he talks about her, there's no chance that she's Hydra."

"Good," Coulson replied. "We'll be taking off shortly, and the flight will only be a couple of hours. We'll land at the Hub and then take the SUV to the hotel, where everyone will have free time tonight. My meeting with Fury is in the morning and we'll arrange something with Hand after that." He looked around for a moment then looked back at Ward and Fitz. "Where are the girls?"

"Simmons is giving Skye a check up, and depending on the results might extend her limits beyond bed rest," Ward replied.

"Ah. Skye will be thrilled," Coulson said with a smile. "Can you let them both know what's going on?" Ward nodded and Coulson turned and headed back for the stairs. "Oh and Ward?" he called over his shoulder. "Do try to remember that all common areas of the plane have cameras. Of which I have a direct feed in my office." With that he slipped back into the main section of the plane, leaving Ward staring open-mouthed after him and Fitz chuckling at the specialist.

"Shut up Fitz," he muttered once he collected himself and started heading for the lab.

"Oh that was priceless! And he's like her father! Oh this is too good!" Fitz laughed as he followed Ward.

* * *

"I need to talk to you," May said as she entered Coulson's office. The plane was on autopilot heading for the Hub and she had enough time before she had to get back to the cockpit to tell Coulson the truth. It was time.

"What's up?" he asked, sensing the seriousness she was projecting.

She took a deep breath before beginning to speak. "I've been keeping something from you since before you walked up to my desk in administration," she started in a calm voice. "Fury knew you'd want me to join up, so he asked me to keep an eye on you."

"What were you looking for?" Coulson interrupted.

"Signs of mental or physical deterioration. I was to keep him updated and not tell you about it," she answered. Coulson went to speak but she stopped him with a raised hand. "Please let me tell you everything and then I'll answer your questions," she said softly. He hesitated for a minute before nodding for her to go on. "He approached me and asked me to give him parameters for a team for you. I evaluated what was needed and gave him the assessment, and then he gave you the parameters to use. You needed someone who could repair your body, a technician who could reprogram your brain, and a specialist to help me put you down if it had to be done." She paused and took another deep breath. "I know you're probably feeling like I betrayed you and I suppose in a way I did. But I just want you to know, I didn't do it for Fury. I did it for you, to protect you. You mean so much to me, and to hear you were dead… I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I should have. Orders or not."

"What made you tell me now?" he asked. He didn't know how to process this – he had trusted May without question and it turned out she had been basically spying on him and reporting back.

"It's been eating at me, keeping it from you. I never wanted to lie to you – I was just trying to protect you. But I knew you needed to know the truth. With everything else going on, it was time for you to know everything. Past time even," she explained.

"Did you know the truth about Tahiti?" he asked.

"I knew some of it. I knew it was an experimental drug derived from otherworldly sources. I didn't know the full extent though," she said.

"I need some time," he said quietly. He didn't know exactly how he felt about this revelation, but he knew he needed time to think about it. Because if he tried to discuss it further right now he was afraid he would end up saying something he would regret.

"Okay," she agreed easily.

"I want you to be in my meeting with Fury tomorrow, so the three of us can discuss this," he requested.

"I can do that," she agreed, heading towards the door.

"And Melinda?" he called, causing her to turn back towards him. "I am grateful you told me. I just wish you had done it sooner."

"So do I," she returned sadly before leaving the office. She felt better now that he knew, like a weight had been lifted when the secret was revealed. She just hoped it didn't destroy their relationship.

Coulson stared at the door for a while after May left, thinking about what she had told him. He was hurt that she had been spying on him for months, but at the same time he supposed he could understand it. He knew she had done it to protect him, because she cared, and that had to mean something. He needed more answers before he could decide how he really felt. And tomorrow he was determined to get them.


	44. Chapter 43

**Author's note**

After the page/line break thingie there's some smutty stuff. Consider yourselves warned.

**Chapter 43**

"I think there's something wrong with AC," Skye said at dinner that night.

After checking into the hotel, Coulson had told the team that they could do whatever they wanted that night but everyone was to meet for breakfast in the morning before his meeting with Fury. He had then promptly excused himself to his room. May had watched him go, before excusing herself to her room as well, leaving the four younger team members in the lobby. They had decided to go to a nearby bar for a few drinks and dinner before they all turned in for the night.

"Why do you say that?" Simmons asked, looking up at the hacker.

"I don't know exactly. He just seemed really quiet on the ride here. And at the hotel, it was like he couldn't get away from us fast enough," Skye replied. She wasn't sure what it was, she just had a feeling that there was something going on with him. He had seemed fine when the team were discussing Ward's crazy plan and then she hadn't seen him after that until they touched down at the Hub, where he seemed really quiet and withdrawn.

"I don't think it was us he wanted to get away from," Ward said quietly. He too had noticed that Coulson seemed especially withdrawn, but what he had seen that he assumed Skye missed was the way the older man seemed to avoid May. He didn't know what was going on with Coulson, but he was fairly certain it had something to do with May.

"What do you mean?" Skye asked raising an eyebrow at him.

"I think he was trying to get away from May," Ward replied simply.

"What?" Skye asked in disbelief. "Why would he be trying to get away from May? They always seem so…" She trailed off not knowing how to explain the relationship between the two older members of the team. There was definitely something there between them, they had a definite closeness and understanding but it was hard to put into words.

"I could be wrong," Ward said. "But to me it seemed like he was avoiding her. Think about it. On the way to the hotel, he chose to sit in the back of the SUV, which isn't like him; I don't know if you noticed but when he was passing out the room keys he gave her the furthest room from him; I don't think I heard him say two words to her since we landed at the Hub. Seems like avoidance to me."

Skye and FitzSimmons thought about what he said for a few moments, realising that now it was pointed out they could see it.

"How did you notice the room thing?" Fitz asked curiously. The other things he had mentioned would be easy to observe, but knowing where each room was and noticing the room numbers on the keys would not be something you would just see.

"Sometimes I think you guys forget what my job actually is," Ward said with a smile. "Part of what I'm trained to do is noticing everything going on around me. So I notice things others don't. It's the kind of thing that helps keep me alive in the field. There was an emergency exit map of the hotel floors behind the reception counter. I took note of our floor and the quickest ways out of the building as soon as I knew what floor we were on. Then I noted who Coulson gave which room so that if we do need to get out of there in a rush I know-"

"Where to go to make sure each of us gets out," Simmons finished for him, receiving a nod.

"Exactly," Ward said with a smile at her.

"Do you do that every time we stay off the bus?" Fitz asked.

"What? Make sure I know where you all are going to be and the quickest routes to you and out?" Ward asked receiving a nod. "I do it every time we get off the bus for any reason," he continued.

"You never stop protecting us do you?" Simmons asked quietly.

"You guys are important to me; you're my family. Of course I don't stop protecting you," Ward replied.

"What about here?" Skye asked. "If something happened and we needed to get out of here in a hurry what would you do?"

Ward looked around and made sure there was no one close enough to overhear their conversation before he answered. "Tell me what you think," he replied with a smirk. "It's something you need to learn so we'll have some impromptu training."

"Okay," Skye said slowly as she started to look around.

Ward knew they hadn't done anything like this before but was curious to see how much she would pick up on. He knew, and she did too, that she wouldn't see everything he saw but he was interested in finding out what she would and would not notice. Fitz and Simmons were also looking around and he thought it wasn't a bad idea for them to participate too with what they were about to start with Hydra.

"You two want to try too?" he asked the scientists. They looked at him with shocked expressions before nodding hesitantly. "More people will generally notice more things; because you will all look at the situation differently so working together you will probably see more."

"So we start by finding the possible exits right?" Skye asked. She was pretty sure that would be the best place to start but wanted to make sure.

"Yeah that's a good place to start," Ward agreed.

"So there's the main door, which we came in through," Simmons said.

"The door to the patio," Fitz added. "The fence around the patio isn't that high, we'd be able to jump it."

Ward nodded encouragingly; they were on the right track. The other options for exits weren't as easily seen. There was likely windows in the bathrooms which were a possibility if all other options were taken away and a place like this would always have a back exit through the kitchen area – for deliveries and because it was a safety requirement.

"Windows in the bathrooms are a possibility," Skye suggested.

"They are, but usually only if all other options are exhausted," Ward agreed. "It's a risk if you haven't already been into the bathroom and scoped out the situation because the window may be too small, it may not be able to be opened, or there could just not be a window. And if any of those are the case then you have trapped yourself in a small room with only one exit, which is most likely being blocked by that point. It is a possibility though, and one you should always keep in the back of your mind for if all else fails."

"Would there be an exit through the kitchen?" Skye asked. "For deliveries or something?"

"There would be," Ward answered. "In a place like this it is also a requirement for safety reasons to have a back exit near the kitchen. So even if you can't see it you can almost always guarantee there is one."

"Would that be the way we would go?" Simmons asked.

"What do you think?" Ward returned.

"I think it would depend on the situation," Simmons replied.

"Exactly," Ward replied. "There are a lot of factors to consider. And not just about what's happening, but also what other things will make a difference to your behaviour. For instance how I would act if I was alone is vastly different to what I would do with you guys here."

"Because with us here you have to protect us, but alone you would take more risks," Skye said.

"Or sneak out easier," Fitz suggested.

"Pretty much," Ward agreed.

"So we would assess the situation and make a logical decision on what exit to take?" Simmons asked.

"You would," Ward agreed.

"What else?" Skye asked. "It's not just a matter of knowing exit points, there is obviously a lot more to it. If I was here alone what other suggestions would you make for me to best be prepared and protect myself."

Ward thought about it for a minute. Sure, there were a lot of other things that he did regularly but they were so much a part of his normal behaviour now that he needed a few moments to sort them out to tell her.

"Well for one you want to keep points of entry in sight at all times," he offered. "At least as many of them as you can. That way if something does happen you will likely see it starting early and you can more quickly assess which would be your best exit route." Skye and FitzSimmons looked around at the points of entry and back to Ward, realising that the place he was sitting gave him an easy view on all those points. "If possible you would want to try and have your back to a wall; it will prevent anyone from sneaking up on you," Ward continued.

"You don't do that," Fitz interjected. "If anything you tend to put us between you and walls."

"Yeah but he has that crazy super sensitive awareness of his surroundings," Skye noted looking at Fitz. She turned back to Ward. "So it would be a lot harder for someone to sneak up on you than it would us and you would rather be between us and potential danger."

"Pretty much," Ward agreed. "You should also always carry a weapon of some sort when you are away from the safety of the bus," he added almost as an afterthought.

"What weapons do you normally carry?" Simmons asked.

"Right now I have an ICER and a knife on me. I used to always carry a pistol but now I prefer the ICER and while I don't particularly like using knives they are always handy to have," Ward responded easily. "Now I think we're just about done here. How about at breakfast in the morning you all think about what we've talked about and make a mental note and we will discuss it later and see what I can add?" After receiving nods from them Ward continued. "I'll go fix up the check and we'll head back to the hotel?"

"Sounds good," Skye agreed while Fitz and Simmons just nodded. It had been a long few days and they were all starting to feel the strain. Ward was back in just a few minutes and they gathered their things and left right away.

* * *

"That was kind of fun in the bar tonight," Skye said softly from her position snuggled up to Ward's chest. Their legs were tangled together and arms wrapped around each other, one of Ward's hands running through her hair and one of hers drawing random patterns on his bare chest.

"Mmm," he agreed. "It's a good idea for all of you to increase your awareness of your surroundings. Especially with the fight we are about to start with Hydra."

"Don't think I didn't notice that you changed the topic from May and AC though and thoroughly distracted us so as to not have to go back to it," she said with a grin.

"Well I obviously didn't do it that thoroughly enough if you're asking me about it," he replied with a grin of his own.

"Do you know something?" she asked.

"Not exactly. I know there was something up with May; something more she wasn't telling us. I assumed it was something pretty big and now I assume she's told Coulson. I don't know what that something is, but I figure if we need to know we'll be told," he answered her easily.

"And you're okay with thing being kept from you?" Skye questioned.

"I trust Coulson. A lot. If he's keeping something from us I think it's for a reason. Besides, he clearly only found out in the last few hours. If it's something big he's probably still processing. He'll tell us, we just have to be patient," Ward responded. "Now, I think there's a better ways to use our time than talking about May and Coulson," he whispered, lifting her chin so he could kiss her.

"Oh I agree," Skye mumbled against his mouth.

Kissing Grant had quickly become one of her favourite things to do. He was as thorough in exploring her mouth with his tongue as he was in ensuring the team's safety – that is to say very, very thorough. She was fairly sure that total dedication to the task would carry through to all aspects of being intimate with him, but she had decided she wanted to find out. If they were going to start a war with Hydra, there was a chance that they wouldn't all make it and Ward would easily be the most at risk since he was walking straight into the lion's den. She didn't want to lose him without knowing what it was like to be with him completely. She wanted to touch him and taste him; she wanted him to do the same to her; and more than anything she wanted to make love to him.

"I love you so much," Ward murmured as he kissed along her jaw and down her neck, oxygen having become an issue. He had pulled her over so she was completely straddling him, her core pressing against his now straining erection and her breasts brushing against his chest. One of his hands was buried in her hair, holding her head to angle it how he wanted it, while the other was gripping her ass, pushing her more firmly against him. He wanted her, desperately. He had wanted her since the first moment he saw her and the want only grew as he fell more in love with her. "And I want you so bad that I ache. Constantly," he whispered as he pulled back to meet her eyes.

"Oh god, me too. I ache too," Skye breathed. "I want you so badly. Please Grant. Please make love to me."

The smile that spread across his face had to be just about the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. He was looking at her like she had just given him the best gift he had ever received, all bright eyed joy and want.

"There's nothing I want more." He pulled her back down to kiss her again, deepening it instantly, while running both hands down to the hem of her shirt and pulling it up. Pulling away from the kiss to take her shirt off he saw her flushed cheeks, swollen lips and eyes bright with need and thought she'd never been more beautiful. His eyes moved slowly over the newly exposed skin, taking in every inch of her. He leaned up to capture her lips again, and then flipped them so she was beneath him. He pulled back from the kiss again and trailed his hands down her sides to her stomach and then back up her front, softly grazing her nipples with his fingertips before cupping her jaw. "You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he said softly to her before kissing her again.

He pressed soft kisses to her mouth, before moving along her jaw and down her neck. He paused on her collarbone, sucking gently. He knew it would likely leave a mark but the soft moan she gave made him pretty sure she wouldn't mind. His hands had moved back down to her hips, holding her in place. He moved down from her collarbone, pressing more soft kisses along the top of her breasts, until he reached her left nipple. As he took it into his mouth and sucked gently, one of his hands trailed up to play with the right.

"Oh yes, don't stop. Never stop touching me," Skye moaned, her fingers linked through his hair holding him to her.

"Never," he mumbled around her nipple.

He switched sides with a trail of kisses and sucked on the right for a few moments, as his hand went back to join the other at the waistband of her panties. He trailed kisses along the underside of her breast and down her tight stomach until he reached his hands. He looked up to lock eyes with her, his lips never parting from her skin as he slowly peeled her panties down her legs.

"Please," she begged. He had worked her into such a state she was ready to cum already and he hadn't even touched her core. The thought of his tongue exploring her there the way it had the rest of her body made her tremble.

He smiled at her devilishly and skipped over where she wanted him most, pressing kisses into her hipbones and the tops of her thighs. She whined in displeasure at him but couldn't stop a moan from escaping when his tongue entered her without warning. His thumb played around her clit as he plunged his tongue in and out of her.

"Yes, oh god yes," Skye moaned.

He replaced his tongue with his fingers, moving to suck on her clit as he fingered her. "Cum for me," he whispered around her clit. "Please baby, I need you to cum for me."

She followed his requested immediately, almost blacking out from the pleasure. She had never cum like that in her life, but it was no surprise. There seemed to be nothing that Grant Ward didn't excel at when he put his mind to it. Once she came down, he pressed a couple more soft kisses before he lifted his head.

"I don't think there's anything more gorgeous than you right now, after I've made you cum," he said as he moved up her body. He hesitated to kiss her, not knowing if she would want to taste herself but that questioned was easily answered when she pulled him down into a passionate kiss.

Ward's erection was straining against the boxer briefs he still wore and Skye could feel it pressing against her as she kissed him. Using skills he had taught her – she momentarily wondered if he had ever thought she would be using it like this, with him, when he taught her to toss an opponent – she flipped them so she was on top.

"My turn," she breathed as she pulled back from his lips to smirk at him.

**Author's note**

So that's my first time writing anything remotely resembling smut. And I really don't know if it's any good. And it was harder than I thought it would be. So I hope it's okay


	45. Chapter 435

**Author's note**

This is just a short chapter with the continuation of the last scene of chapter 43. It's not an actual chapter, but I wanted to write the entire scene (even though I don't know if it's actually any good) without making it part of the next chapter

**Chapter 43.5**

Skye mimicked Ward's actions from earlier, placing soft kisses along his jaw and down his neck. She stopped to suck softly on his collarbone, giving him a mark to match the one he gave her and eliciting a deep moan from him. She ran her hands up and down his chest and over his abs, tracing the defined contours of his body. She scraped her fingernails across his nipples as she kissed a line down the centre of his chest.

"Skye," Ward gasped as she traced down his abs with her tongue. The feel of her hands and lips and tongue on his skin was better than anything he had ever experienced. He didn't know how much more of it he could take.

Skye slipped her fingers under the waistband of his boxer briefs and pushed them down off his hips. She knew he was big - she'd felt him before - but she'd never seen him completely nude. She had a slight concern about him being too big to fit but she knew it wouldn't really be an issue. He would never hurt her, so there was nothing to truly worry about. She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his tip as she wrapped her hand around the base. She took him into her mouth slowly, stroking him with her hand at the same time. She relaxed her jaw and throat to take him in more fully, stroking him with her tongue and sucking harder.

"Oh god," Ward breathed as she worked him harder. "Baby you've gotta stop. I'm gonna cum. It's too good. I can't hold it."

She hummed around him in agreement, but didn't let up for a little longer. Finally she pulled back from him, stroking him a few more times softly as she kissed back up to his mouth. "You're gorgeous," she whispered against his lips. "Thank god you don't walk around naked all the time, I have enough trouble concentrating around you when you're clothed but like this I would never get anything done."

He smiled shyly at her. He knew well enough that he was attractive - both women and men commented on it frequently and he was forever being hit on - but coming from her it really meant something to him. Because she knew the real him and still thought it so coming from her he knew that she really believed it.

"I love you," he murmured.

"I love you too," she replied softly. "So, so much."

He leaned up to capture her lips again, the kiss quickly growing passionate. She slipped her tongue into his mouth to play with his as both of them ran their hands all over each other. Ward flipped them again so he was hovering over her. Skye reached between them to wrap her hand around him, lining him up with her entrance.

"Don't make me wait," she whispered as he pulled back to lock eyes with her.

"No more waiting," he agreed.

They kept eye contact as he slowly sunk into her. She felt as she stretched around him with each inch he entered her, her body needing to adjust to his size. Finally he was completely inside her and they both paused to enjoy the feeling of being completely joined. After a few moments he started to move again, withdrawing slowly before pushing back in. His thrusts sped up some, finding a rhythm that made her moan his name and lift her hips to meet him. He leaned down to kiss her, one of his hands moving down to stroke her clit while the other played with one of her nipples. She had one hand buried in his hair, holding his head down while the other was holding his ass.

"Yes," she moaned as his thrusts increased in pace some more. "Oh Grant, yes."

"Skye," he gasped into her mouth. "You feel so good." He stroked her harder as his thrusts got faster, trying to hold off his own orgasm until she came. "Cum for me baby," he whispered.

"Yes, yes, yes," she chanted. She knew she was going to cum; being with him felt like nothing she had ever experienced. It was pure pleasure. "Cum with me," she breathed. "Please Grant, cum with me."

He didn't answer, simply increased his efforts to get them both to cum at the same time. She yelled his name as he felt her walls start to flutter around him so let himself go with a shout of her name. He collapsed half on top of her, kissing her softly. "Thank you," he said softly.

"Thank you," she returned. "I've never felt anything like that before. No one has ever made me feel how you make me feel."

"No one has ever made me feel how you make me feel either," Ward responded. He rolled onto his back and pulled her on top of him, pillowing her head on his chest.

"Let's do it again," she tried to say but was interrupted by yawning. "Sorry, I guess I'm a little tired," she mumbled with a blush.

"We'll rest for a little," he said softly, pecking her lips. "And then wake up and do it again."

"Sounds good," she said through another yawn. "Make sure you wake me up in a couple of hours," she demanded.

"I will," he agreed, placing a soft kiss on her forehead as she was already starting to drift off. He reached for his phone on the bedside table and set an alarm for a few hours, knowing that even though he wanted to let her sleep he really didn't want to face her wrath if he didn't wake her. He settled in comfortably as she tried to burrow further into his chest in her sleep and allowed himself to drift off. Being with her had been more than he had ever imagined he could have and he would be forever grateful. He had never had an experience like it and it was more than he had ever dreamed. He looked forward to waking her up to do it again over and over that night.


	46. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**

Agent Victoria Hand's eyes had not left Ward since Coulson had revealed his role as a Hydra double agent almost an hour ago. She had continued listening to the older man's explanation, but had not looked away from the younger specialist. In turn, Ward hadn't shifted his focus away from her in that time. She was very good at hiding how she was feeling and her reactions to what Coulson was saying, but Ward was very, very good at noticing things so hidden or not he saw it all. He thought she probably meant to intimidate him in some way by staring so intently at him but it didn't really affect him in any way – this wasn't the first time someone had tried it and it certainly wouldn't be the last; it had long since stopped bothering him.

They were seated at a round table, made up of ten seats, with Hand directly across from him, allowing him to see the rest of the team in his peripheral vision. Skye, who was sitting to his immediate right was fidgeting, obviously feel some discomfort over the intense staring taking place beside her. He wanted to reach over and still her hands with his but knew that he couldn't make such a move here. Simmons sat to his immediate left, with Fitz beside her and they both looked nervous as will, fidgeting slightly but not as bad as Skye. May sat on Skye's other side, her face impassive as always and Coulson was beside her a blank expression on his face as he explained everything to Hand.

The one empty seat beside Coulson and two between Fitz and Hand, were left intentionally to present the team as a united front. Fury would be joining them later, but wanted Coulson to get the bulk of the explaining done first – he had already heard it all – so as to make everything a little less suspicious.

Coulson had finally stopped speaking and Hand was quiet for a few moments, still staring at Ward before she spoke.

"And why should I trust you Agent Ward?" she asked.

"You shouldn't," Ward replied easily. He knew nothing he said would convince her so decided not even to bother trying. "I'm not asking you to trust me; I know that I wouldn't be able to convince you to do that."

"Then why would I choose to help you if I can't trust you?" she asked sceptically. His response to her first question surprised her. She had expected him to try and defend himself, and the fact he hadn't went a long way to convincing her that she would agree to whatever plan they had.

"Because you know it is the best option. Maybe even the only option. I know all about bad choices. I made the wrong choice fifteen years ago; I've made a lot of wrong choices since then; but the choice to tell Coulson the truth, to tell Fury, and now to bring you in? Those are not wrong choices," Ward said calmly. "And even if you don't trust me; even if you don't like me; you're going to choose to help. Because whether I'm truly on your side or not, the threat of Hydra is real, and you don't want to see them win. You won't allow them to win. And the only way to beat them is if you work with us."

She studied him for a moment, realising that he was a hundred percent right. She didn't have to believe he was on their side – although if she was being honest she did believe that – to know that working together was the only way to win. She went to speak but was interrupted by a voice at the door.

"He's right," said Fury.

Everyone at the table jumped and turned to him in shock, except Ward who looked at him in amusement. No one else had known he was there and now they worried about who else could have overheard part of their conversation without them noticing.

"How long have you been there sir?" Coulson asked.

"From where Ward told Hand she shouldn't trust him," Fury answered with a smirk.

Coulson and Hand's eyes widened while May had a slight twitch in her expression but kept an otherwise impassive look on her face.

"Oh no," Simmons muttered. "What if someone else was there without us knowing and overheard?"

"They weren't," Ward assured her.

"But how can you be sure?" Fitz asked.

"Because Agent Ward knew I was there from the moment I touched the door," Fury answered for him. "Didn't you?"

"Yes," Ward answered simply.

"Hill and Romanoff told me you were good, but that is very impressive," the director said with a raised eyebrow. It truly was impressive, even Romanoff was easier to sneak up on than this guy. "And besides, I had this room secured before your meeting to only be accessible to Coulson, Hand and myself. I'm the only one that could open the door, and the room is soundproof."

"Why didn't you say anything about him being there?" Coulson asked Ward.

"Well he is the director, which makes him very much my boss," Ward answered. "I figured if he wanted his presence to be known he would announce it." Ward was surprised that May at least hadn't noticed the door but then he knew she was still a little off over whatever had happened with Coulson.

"And you should trust him, Agent Hand," Fury started, turning to look at the woman he was addressing. "Because I trust him. And my trust is not given lightly."

Hand looked at the director for a moment before turning back to Ward. "I think I do trust you," she said quietly but firmly. Ward simply gave her a brief nod as Fury was sitting down in the chair beside Fitz. "So what's your plan?" Hand asked looking from Fury to Coulson. "I assume you have one and that's the reason why I'm being told this now."

"We do," Coulson agreed. "We want to get Garrett to expose himself as the Clairvoyant and to do that we are going to make him believe that we've already figured out who it is. And we want to pretend we've figured it out to be you."

"Okay. And why would it be me?" she asked.

"We're going to say we've figured out it is someone within SHIELD with a high security clearance and then we're going to get you to attack him," Coulson answered.

"You want me to attack him?"

"And us," Ward added helpfully.

"You want me to attack him and you?"

"Yes," Coulson agreed.

Hand looked to May. "Can you please explain this to me?" she asked the other woman.

"We're going to expose Hydra; make him think they are revealing themselves. And then we want you to basically declare that you think Coulson and Garrett are Hydra. Send drones after Garrett so he'll meet up with us and then use the HQ override to redirect the bus to you. To Garrett we act like we think this behaviour makes you the Clairvoyant, pretend we're on his side. Then Ward will get him to admit the truth so we can take him into custody," May explained.

"Well that seems simple enough," Hand said.

"There's more," Ward interjected.

"What more could there be once he's in custody?"

"I'm going to shoot you and help him escape," Ward answered simply, causing her to gape at him.

"I'm sorry what?"

"FitzSimmons are modifying the ICER to make it produce a wound that looks more like a real bullet wound. I'll shoot you with it, making him think you're dead and then I'll help him get away. Skye is setting up some encrypted communications I can use to funnel information back to the team so that we can take down Hydra fully."

Hand stared at him before turning to look first at Coulson and then at Fury who both gave her nods of agreement. "You're all crazy!" she exclaimed. "But it's actually a good plan. Provided you don't switch sides again."

"That won't happen," Ward said easily but offering no further explanation.

"So you'll do it?" Coulson asked.

"I will," Hand agreed. "When do you want it to happen?"

"FitzSimmons?" Coulson asked.

"About a week," Fitz answered. "And it should be ready.

"A week then," Coulson said to Hand. "But I will let you know for sure when it's time just to be safe."

"Okay then. Let's go over how it's all going to go down," Fury said.

* * *

"Well that went a lot better than I thought it would," Coulson said as the team got back on the bus that night.

"Yeah," Ward agreed. "I kinda thought she'd shoot me to be honest." Everyone froze when he said that and stared at him with expressions ranging from mild horror (Simmons) to amusement (Coulson). He turned to look at them and saw the expressions on their faces. "What?"

"You thought she was going to shoot you?" Simmons asked.

"And you still went into the meeting?" Fitz added.

"It was your idea to even use her!" Skye exclaimed.

"Well yeah, because she makes the most sense. And she was a safe bet from our side because she's tough but she has strong morals. Once we told her the situation she was always going to get on board," Ward explained.

May and Coulson were clearly amused now, barely holding in laughter at FitzSimmons and Skye's outrage and Ward's apparent indifference to the fact he thought he was going to get shot that day.

"I don't think they understand why you went in if you thought she'd shoot you," Coulson supplied helpfully.

"Well I only thought it was a fifty-fifty chance so it was an easy decision to make," Ward provided. "Besides, it's not like she would have shot to kill anyway."

"I think Hand was right," Skye said. "You are crazy!"

"I assessed the risk and made a choice," Ward said simply. "It all worked out and I didn't get shot. So that's a bonus."

"Okay," Coulson interjected before it could go any further. "May, let's get the bus in the air and then everyone get some rest, we all need it." May nodded and headed for the cockpit. "Tomorrow I want you two to work on that ICER. We need it ready as quickly as possible," he said to FitzSimmons, receiving nods. "And Skye," he continued turning to the hacker. "See if you can work out how we're going to communicate with Ward."

Skye nodded in agreement before stifling a yawn with her hand. "Sorry, AC," she mumbled. "Didn't get much sleep last night."

A snort emitted from the direction of FitzSimmons although she wasn't sure which one it came from. Coulson looked at the two scientists who were both staring at the floor before turning back to the hacker.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah of course," she answered quickly. She hadn't been thinking when she'd said that and she absolutely did not want Coulson asking her questions about why she didn't sleep well. "Just stayed up late. Felt strange being off the bus. No big deal, you know how it is."

"We should all go get some sleep," Ward interrupted when it looked like she was going to keep talking.

"Yes, right. You're right," Skye said. "Sleep. Now. Us all. Together. Well I mean not-"

"Baby please, please just stop talking," Ward pleaded.

She looked at him and nodded. She didn't know why she had started babbling like that but she recognised it probably wasn't a great thing. She smiled at the rest of the team, said a quick goodnight and then basically ran up the stairs. No need for any further strangeness to come out of her mouth.

"Well that was odd," Coulson said turning to look at Ward who was watching Skye go with a fond smile. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Ward replied facing Coulson when Skye was out of sight. "Just tired. Which I am too, so I'm going to head to bed as well. I'll see you all in the morning." He headed up the stairs but leaned over the railing before passing through the doorway off the landing. "FitzSimmons you're joining Skye's training in the morning before breakfast. I'll make sure you're up," he called down before disappearing through the door.

Coulson chuckled at the expressions on the scientists faces, but knew they'd do it despite not wanting to, because it was their 'big brother' that said to. It wasn't a bad idea, he realised, getting the two of them more combat ready. They didn't know exactly what was going to happen with Hydra but it was likely they would see more action before it was all done. And Ward would make sure they were more prepared.

"You both best get to bed," he said to the two scientists. "Looks like you'll be having an early morning."

They turned together to look at him before nodding and heading up the stairs. Coulson smiled as he watched them go before following after them. He was looking forward to getting some sleep too.

* * *

"So how much did you hear?" Ward asked Fitz and Simmons the following afternoon when he was in the lab with them. Skye was busy and said he needed to go elsewhere and stop distracting her so he decided now was a good time to confront the scientists.

They looked at each other before turning to him with matching grins. "A lot," Fitz said.

"You weren't exactly quiet," Simmons added. "I'm surprised neither May nor Coulson heard anything."

"It was a good quality hotel. The walls were fairly soundproof. You guys had an adjoining door," Ward responded. "It's why you would have heard so much. Which I apologise for. If we had known we would have tried to be quieter." He thought about it fro a moment and added, "Probably."

"Hey, we're happy for you big bro!" Simmons said. "No need to apologise."

"Hey! I'm all traumatised and –" Fitz started.

"Shush Fitz, you are not traumatised. You're fine," Simmons interrupted.

"Thanks guys," Ward said with a chuckle. "Is there anything I can do to help you guys?"

"Not at the moment," Fitz replied.

"I'm gonna work out for a bit then. If you need anything just give me a yell," Ward said with a smile. He received nods from the two scientists and then left the lab.

* * *

"Ah Ward, do you have a minute?" Coulson asked as Ward was leaving his bunk after getting changed from his workout.

"Sure. What's up?" Ward asked as he followed Coulson to his office.

After closing the door behind the specialist Coulson joined him in sitting in front of his desk. "I need to tell you what May told me the other day."

"What?" Ward asked.

"It relates to the GH-325," Coulson said. He then explained to Ward what May had told him about why the team was formed out of the people it was.

"So that's why May was in your meeting with Fury this morning?" Ward asked when he was finished.

"Yeah," Coulson agreed. "I wanted more answers and to have a discussion with both of them."

"Did you get any more answers?" Ward questioned.

"All Fury would say is that it was a program that was in testing that I was in charge of and I told him to shut it down. So it was tabled as something to be used only in the case of a fallen Avenger. He's going to try and find some more information but most of it was stored at the Guest House so it's gone now. He did leave me with something of a cryptic quote though that I'm still trying to figure out," Coulson explained.

"What was it?"

"He said that he buried that secret when he decided not to bury me."

Ward tilted his head back to think about that for a few moments and then suddenly looked back at Coulson. "I think I know where it is."

"Where?"

"You have a grave right?" Ward queried. "Because you were actually dead and are still believed to be dead by a majority of people."

"I do," Coulson said and then realised where he was going with the question. "Oh. That makes a lot of sense."

"How would you feel about digging up your own grave?" Ward asked with a smirk.

"Pretty good, actually," Coulson responded with a smirk of his own.


	47. Chapter 45

**Author's note**

Some lines are taken from episode 20 'Nothing Personal'

**Chapter 45**

"So we're going to your grave AC?" Skye asked.

"Yes," Coulson answered as Ward nodded.

"And the plan is to dig it up?" Fitz asked.

"Yes," Ward said as Coulson nodded.

"Because Fury gave you a cryptic message about where some files were?" Simmons asked.

This time they both nodded and neither spoke.

"And you decided he meant your grave?" May asked.

"It makes sense," Coulson said.

"He said he buried them when he decided not to bury Coulson. So it follows that they'd be in his grave," Ward added.

May, Skye and FitzSimmons were sitting across from Ward and Coulson in the lounge as the latter explained where they were going and why. It was going to take a few more days before the ICERs and Skye's encryptions were ready so they had decided now was the time to deal with this issue before they took the next step in taking care of Garrett.

"What's so important about these files?" Simmons asked.

"They contain answers about the GH-325," Coulson answered simply. May already knew this, and he was sure Ward had told Skye at least that they had maybe found some answers when he went to get her but Fitz and Simmons were still completely in the dark. He had decided he would be as honest as he could with them – he would tell them where they were going and why and then once they had the information he could decide what to share based on what it said.

"What kind of answers?" she asked.

"Well we won't know that until we see them, that's why we have to dig them up," he replied.

"I don't know how I feel about digging up a grave," Fitz muttered before realising everyone had heard him and was staring. "I know you're not actually buried there," he said louder. "But it's still your grave. And graves aren't meant to be disturbed. It just isn't right."

"It's okay Fitz, I understand," Coulson said with a smile. "And you don't have to worry about it because you won't be digging it up. Ward will be."

"What will the rest of us be doing?" Skye asked.

"Well I can't show up at my own grave, that could too easily raise suspicion, so I will be staying here. You need to keep working on that encrypted communication; Fitz and Simmons need to finish off the ICER modifications; and May will remain with us on the bus as a safety precaution. We're working in unpredictable waters so I don't want to leave the bus unprotected and we need to be able to get into the air quickly on a moments notice. Just to be safe," Coulson responded.

"And I'll be as quick as possible," Ward added. "I plan to get in there, get it dug up and get out hopefully without being noticed."

Coulson nodded in agreement and then turned to May. "How long until we can be there?"

"We're not far so we can probably touch down in a couple of hours," May answered simply.

"Okay. We're trying to do this quietly, so we'll be landing at the SHIELD base nearby for refuelling and Ward will slip out, hopefully undetected," Coulson said. "Then once he's back we will get out of there and look into what ever he finds once we're in the air."

The rest of the team nodded in agreement and then started to head their separate ways: May to the cockpit; Fitz and Simmons to the lab; and Coulson to his office. Once they were alone, Skye moved over and climbed into Ward's lap, where he instantly wrapped his arms around her.

"So you're going to do some grave robbing," she said quietly, resting her head against his shoulder so she could look up at him.

"Is it strange that this won't be the most odd thing I've done since I started working for SHIELD?" he asked as he tilted his head to look down at her.

"A little," she answered with a grin. "What is the oddest thing you've had to do?"

"That's classified," he said with a grin. It was true, the mission was classified, but he mostly just said it because he knew it would frustrate her.

"Seriously?" she asked. He simply nodded his head, causing her to glare at him. "Well fine," she said, standing up with a huff. "I'll just go hack SHIELD and find out for myself."

With that she took off running from the lounge, Ward laughing and jumping up to follow her. He caught her in the doorway to his bunk, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her completely off her feet and back into his chest.

"You're going to hack SHIELD from my bunk?" he asked with his lips up against the side of her neck.

"It's where my laptop is," she replied breathlessly. The feeling of his mouth on her skin always got her worked up, but even more so now that she had felt it all over her body.

"I don't think you need your laptop right now," he whispered as he kissed along her throat.

"You're right," she breathed, tilting her head to the side to allow him more access.

"Sorry to interrupt," Coulson's amused voice came from behind them, causing Skye to jump and Ward to groan. "But I need to borrow Ward for just a little while."

"But I need him!" Skye whined without meaning to as Ward spun them to face the team leader, keeping Skye in front of him. She covered her face in embarrassment when she realised that she had let that sentence slip out in front of the man she considered a father figure.

The amused expression on Coulson's face grew even more obvious as he pushed back a laugh. "Be that as it may," he said, exerting a great deal of force into holding back a smile. "I really do need to speak with him. And I'm pretty sure you have an encryption you should be working on."

"Yes, right. I should definitely get back to that," Skye said before slipping out of Ward's arms and into his bunk, firmly shutting the door behind her. It took less than thirty seconds before she heard Coulson and Ward chuckle outside the door, causing her to call out, "I can hear you!"

The sounds of their laughter faded away as they moved away from the door. She grabbed her laptop to continue working on her encryption. If Ward was going to have to spend time with the monster that was his former SO then she was going to make sure he had the best encrypted communication to talk to them that anyone had ever created.

* * *

Ward looked around the cemetery surrounding him as he continued to dig up Coulson's grave. He couldn't believe he was here, digging up his boss's grave at the request of said boss. It seemed so far outside what was normal, even for a guy like him who had been part of SHIELD for over a decade.

He was drawn out of his thoughts when his shovel hit something other than dirt. Finally, he had reached Coulson's coffin. He felt like he had been here for far too long already and was worried someone would notice him and get suspicious but he knew it hadn't actually been as long as it seemed.

He pried open the lid on the coffin and shone his flashlight inside, seeing nothing but a laptop wrapped in plastic. Figuring this was what he was looking for he grabbed it out quickly, closed the lid and climbed out of the grave. He scanned his surroundings and saw he was still alone and quickly started pushing the dirt he had dug out of the grave back into it. He had to leave it looking as close to undisturbed as possible, just in case someone come across it. He smoothed out the surface once he was done and then tucked the laptop and shovel under his arm, moving quickly out of the cemetery. He climbed back onto the bike he had ridden from the bus and made his way swiftly back to where they were landed.

* * *

"So this is all that was in there?" Coulson asked as the team stood around the table in the command centre, the laptop Ward had found in the middle.

Ward nodded. "That's it."

"So we should see what's on it right?" Skye asked looking between Ward and Coulson.

"Right," Coulson agreed distractedly, looking intently at the laptop. "We should right?" he asked looking up at Ward.

Coulson knew they needed to all they could and that the laptop would contain answers, but that didn't stop him from being scared about what they'd find. And at this moment Ward was the one he trusted most to point him in the right direction here. FitzSimmons didn't know the full extent of what they were potentially looking at; he was still reeling from May's revelations about her purpose on the team and didn't have the trust he used to in her; and Skye was just as unsure as he was. Ward was the best person to make this decision and have Coulson would go along with whatever he suggested.

"We should," Ward replied quietly after a moment, meeting the older man's eyes. "We need to know."

"Yes, of course. You're right. We need to know," Coulson agreed.

"Do you want to do it alone to see what's on there?" Ward asked. "Just in case."

"No, no I think everyone needs to know," Coulson replied, receiving a nod from Ward and confused looks from FitzSimmons.

They all stood staring at the laptop in the centre of the table for a few more minutes before Skye huffed. "We're being ridiculous, let's just open it!" With that she reached across the table and grabbed the laptop, pulling it out of the plastic and opening it. The laptop started up and opened to a desktop with only one item on it. "There's a folder on the desktop. Contains a few files," she said as she scrolled through them. "There's a video file."

"Play it," Coulson instructed.

Skye did as he asked a started the file playing as the rest of the team moved around to gather around behind her to see the screen. They were all shocked when it was Coulson that appeared on the video.

"Good morning Director Fury," came Coulson's voice from the screen. "I regret to inform you that I'm handing in my resignation. I know you brought me on to Project T.A.H.I.T.I. because you trusted my judgement and it's that judgement that's telling me I can no longer, in good conscience, let the testing continue. I understand you started the program to potentially save a mortally wounded Avenger, but the side effects are too extreme. We had initial success with the regenerative properties of the guest-host tissue, but after the initial physical recovery, the subjects began to deteriorate mentally, displaying hypergraphia, aphasia, catatonia or just complete psychosis. We don't know if it was the biology at play or simply the awareness of what was done, but the only course of action that showed any promise of stemming these side effects was memory replacement – erasing completely the awareness of what they'd been through. And even those results were very inconsistent. To be clear, I'm recommending the termination of Project T.A.H.I.T.I. Under no circumstances should these procedures or drugs be administered to anyone. Ever. The cost is far too great. Thank you sir."

The team stood staring at the screen for a few moments after the video ended before Coulson broke the silence with a bewildered "Huh."

Everyone turned as one to look at him. "That was you," Fitz said, stating the obvious and causing everyone to give him disbelieving looks.

"Yes," Coulson answered, even though the answer was blatantly obvious. "Apparently it was."

"What was Project T.A.H.I.T.I.?" Simmons asked.

"The thing that brought me back from the dead," Coulson answered.

"Yes, obviously. But what was it?" the biochemist asked.

"I have no idea. That's the answers we are looking for," the team leader answered.

"You didn't want them to use it," Ward said quietly, looking intently at Coulson.

"No, it would seem I didn't," Coulson agreed. "We need more information. Skye," he said turning his gaze to the hacker. "I need you to go through the other files there and see what you can find. FitzSimmons can give you a hand while they continue working on the new ICER." The scientists nodded in agreement and the three of them left the room and headed down to the lab. "May keep us in the air, we want to be moving around as much as possible to make us harder to find." May nodded and headed for the cockpit.

"We gave that drug to Skye," Ward said quietly once they were alone.

"I know," Coulson answered in the same tone.

The two men stared at each other for a few moments before Ward spoke again. "Hopefully Skye will find something helpful in the rest of the files. Something to tell us more about the drug itself."

"If it's there, she'll find it," Coulson said confidently.

"Even if it's not there, she'll probably find it," Ward agreed. "If anyone can it's Skye."

"You're right," Coulson agreed. The two of them stood quietly for a few minutes before Coulson spoke again. "So we only have a few days left of the week we told Hand we needed. Fitz says that they think they are just about done with the ICER, they just need to test it."

"I'll go down and take a look at it in a little while then," Ward said quietly. "I assume we are going to move forward with that plan?"

"We will," Coulson affirmed. "At least exposing Garrett. Depending on what Skye finds will affect whether we decide to release him, but we have a few days to make that decision. Once we've confirmed that the modified ICER does what we want I will let Hand know we're moving forward. And then we will have to get Garrett onboard."

"We need to make sure all evidence that we've been looking into the GH325 is extremely well hidden before we even think about letting him on the plane," Ward said firmly.

"Agreed. We'll figure something out. So what do you think our time line looks like?" Coulson enquired of the specialist.

"You give Garrett a call sometime tomorrow or the day after telling him we need to meet with him face to face as you've figured out something about the Clairvoyant and don't know who else to trust. We'll meet up with him within a day depending on where he is. We tell him our suspicions that it's a SHIELD agent, high up but we don't know who yet; we're putting together profiles but so far have only ruled out you, him, Fury and Hill. The Hydra reveal will occur, courtesy of Skye, and Hand will order the drone attack a few hours after he's onboard. Hand will then override the bus to pull us back to the Hub when we beat the attack. So we're looking at roughly three to four days before we are back at the Hub," Ward summarised. "Once we're at the Hub things will move quickly. Because if we're operating under the assumption that Hand is the Clairvoyant Garrett will expect us to go after her, so I will need to get him to admit the truth fast. Then we can probably hold him for a few hours without him getting suspicious before we transport him so we can regroup and make the final decision on whether or not he gets released."

"So in four to five days Garrett will either be a prisoner at the Fridge or you will both be on the run as traitors and fugitives. Sounds about right," Coulson confirmed. "What about Agent Triplett?"

"Trip's a good guy. Grandson of a Howling Commando; he's clean as they come. But he's gonna want some pretty serious explanations once this all goes down. It will be a lot to swallow, finding out his SO, who he trusts, is a traitor," Ward mused. "I think you and I talking to him, telling him everything, would be our best bet. I can give him the most information and you're someone that can be trusted who can verify it's the truth. Then he should be able to stay with the team while I'm gone if I do have to release Garrett; provide you all with a specialist while you don't have me."

"Is he as good as you?" Coulson asked.

Ward smirked. "Nah he's not that good." They both chuckled at that before Ward got serious again. "But he is good. He's probably the next best guy after me that Garrett ever trained. He'll be an asset."

"Then we'll be happy to have him," Coulson asserted.

"I'm gonna head down to the lab and check in with Skye and FitzSimmons. Make sure they are all handling this. And I'll see if the modified ICER is ready for testing yet and how Skye's going with those files," Ward said as he headed towards the door.

"Let me know if any of you need anything," Coulson called after him.

"Will do." He heard faintly in reply as Ward waved a hand in acknowledgement.


End file.
